Page 6 - HOSPITAAL

A2 UP FRONT
Thursday 15 February 2018
Coalition ramps down air support in Iraq, shifts to training
By K. MOHAMMED IS, according to a state-
ALI HASSAN ment released by U.S. Air
Associated Press Forces Central Command.
BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AP) — However, Iraq is struggling
Now that Iraq has claimed to fund the Air Force's $1 bil-
victory over the Islamic lion budget as the country
State group after a bloody is faced with the enormous
3 1/2-year war, the U.S.-led task of rebuilding in the
coalition is decreasing air wake of its military victories.
support in the country — At a conference in Kuwait
the latest indication of the this week, Iraq asked the
coalition's shrinking foot- international community
print amid a drawdown of for $88.2 billion dollars to
U.S. forces announced ear- fund post-IS reconstruction,
lier this month. but was only able to raise a
American and Iraqi air portion of that.
force commanders say the "Training a fighter pilot
coalition will launch fewer takes years," said U.S. Air
airstrikes in support of Iraqi Force Brig. Gen. Andrew
forces and instead focus Croft at a meeting with the
more on training Iraqi air- commander of the Iraqi Air
men. Iraq's air force will as- Force, Gen. Anwar Hama
sume more of the "missions, Ameen. "So this is not a
duties and responsibilities" short term investment, this
to maintain the country's is something for the long- north of Baghdad, Iraq. The U.S.-led coalition is decreasing air support for Iraq following Bagh-
dad's declaration of victory over the Islamic State group.
hard-fought victories over term."
An Iraqi pilot checks a U.S.- made Iraqi Air Force F-16 fighter jet at the Balad Air Base, 45 miles
(AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)
Up until now the U.S. Air the fight against IS and fu-
Force had largely been eled Iraqi military victories
supporting Iraq's security throughout the more than
forces by launching air- three-year-long-campaign.
strikes against IS targets Before the U.S. began a
and supporting the coun- campaign of airstrikes
try's F-16 program. Cur- against IS in August 2014,
rently, Iraqi F-16 pilots are the extremists could eas-
trained in the U.S. and the ily travel across the vast
maintenance and security swaths of territory — much
of Iraq's F-16s is largely car- of it open desert — under
ried out by American con- their control in Iraq and
tractors. neighboring Syria. Just
The announcement from weeks after overrunning
the Air Force follows the Mosul, IS fighters launched
announcement of a "shift a push on the city of Irbil in
in focus" from the U.S.-led Iraq’s Kurdish region that
coalition earlier this month was largely repelled by co-
after the Iraqi government alition air power.
said the U.S. had begun In the months that fol-
to reduce the number of lowed, the extremists’ ter-
American forces in Iraq. The ritorial gains were largely
U.S. is reducing the number halted and over the next
of its troops in Iraq, but Iraqi three years Iraqi ground
and coalition officials say forces with close coalition
an agreement on the size air support pushed IS out
of the force that will remain of towns, villages and cities
in the country has not yet across the country. In De-
been reached. cember 2017 Iraq’s prime
The coalition will now focus minister declared victory
on "policing, border con- over the group.
trol and military capacity Croft said a well trained
building," Brig. Gen. Jona- and equipped Iraqi Air
than Braga said in a written Force could have prevent-
statement last week. ed the fall of Mosul.
“We will sustain the suc- “If Iraq had a couple of
cessful momentum and airplanes and a couple
enhance the capacities of of controllers, that would
the Iraqi Security Forces in never have happened,”
pursuing Daesh, now and he said, referring to IS’ blitz
in the future,” he added, across Iraq in the summer
using an Arabic acronym of 2014. However, main-
for IS. taining a modern air force
Coalition airstrikes proved has been prohibitively ex-
to be decisive early on in pensive for Iraq. q