<%@LANGUAGE="VBSCRIPT" CODEPAGE="1252"%> WorldTribune.com: Mobile — Iraq used air force for first time in Basra

Iraq used air force for first time in Basra

Tuesday, April 15, 2008 Free Headline Alerts

BAGHDAD — The Iraq Air Force employed fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft in combat for the first time its recent operation in Basra.

Officials said the air force used its fleet of C-130 air transports to ferry troops and equipment for the battle in Basra in late March, Middle East Newsline reported. They said the air force also deployed M-17 utility helicopters for transport and tactical reconnaissance.

"This was the first time the air force was used in battle," an official said. "Until now, the air force had been extremely limited."

The air force has about 60 platforms, most of them U.S.- and Russian-origin helicopters. Over the last year, the military service has been conducting up to 500 missions per week, a 15-fold increase from early 2007.

Officials said the Iraq Army and security forces also began using its communications network to direct troops. They said this was the first time that Iraqi security forces relied on their own communications, rather than those of the United States.

The Defense Ministry has assessed that Iraqi units, with no direct U.S. support, held their own against Iranian-trained and equipped militias in Basra. The ministry concluded that despite the defection of numerous troops the Iraq Army, under the command of Gen. Mohan Al Freiji, succeeded in rapidly transporting 15,000 soldiers to the southern port city. On Sunday, Freiji said 1,300 police and soldiers had been dismissed for refusing to fight.

"We didn't beat them, but we came out much better than they had expected," the official said. "We didn't break ranks and run, and we exacted heavy casualties."

Officials said the Iranian-backed Mahdi Army and other Shi'ite militias incurred more than 600 casualties and 1,000 injuries. The Iraq Army and police reported 88 killed and 122 injured. They said the militias, urged by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, appealed for a ceasefire.

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