Iraq Takes Delivery of Russian Fighter Jets
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - The Iraqi government received a delivery of Russian-made fighter planes it hopes will turn the tide against rebels who have seized large parts of the country.
Iraqi security officials confirmed five Sukhoi jets, which were purchased second-hand from Russia, had arrived in Baghdad.
Pictures released by the defence ministry show the jets taxiing on a runway towards a hangar.
Military officials hope the aircraft will bolster efforts by the Iraqi armed forces to retake territory seized by rebels led by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant earlier in June.
The Iraqi government launched its biggest push yet to drive back the rebel offensive on Saturday, as soldiers backed by tanks and helicopter gunships began an offensive to retake the northern city of Tikrit.
There were conflicting reports as to just how much headway the Iraqi military made in its initial thrust towards Tikrit, the hometown of Saddam Hussein, according to AP.
Residents said radical fighters were still in control of the city during the night, but Iraqi officials said the troops had reached the outskirts and even entered Tikrit itself.
What was clear, however, was the government's desire to portray the campaign as a significant step forward after two weeks of demoralising defeats at the hands of the ISIL fighters and their allies.
The rebel surge in northern and western Iraq has thrown the country into its deepest crisis since US troops withdrew in December 2011.