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ISIS Tries To Grab Its Own Air Force
[DailyBeast] The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham is threatening to take control of Balad Airbase, Iraq's largest airfield and one of America's most important military outposts during its occupation of the country.Today, Balad still has plenty of vehicles and aircraft on the base that any terrorist group would covet, including Russian-made transport helicopters, surveillance planes, and a fleet of pickup trucks fitted with heavy machine guns. Now, that airbase is coming under fire—and is in danger of falling into the hands of ISIS, according to U.S. intelligence officers, internal reports from Balad, and outside analysts. Rooters reported Wednesday that the base was now surrounded on three sides by turbans and taking heavy mortar fire. Even if ISIS were to gain control of Balad, there is no guarantee its fighters would know how to operate or maintain the aircraft that are stored there. But an ISIS takeover of Balad would be significant nonetheless. As NBC News reported Tuesday, Iraqi officers say without air support they are on an equal footing with ISIS fighters. Some attacks on Balad already began this month. The last American contractors at Balad—many of whom were working to modernize the base to be ready for the F-16s—were flown by the Iraqi Air Force to Storied Baghdad on June 13 in a dramatic airlift operation reminiscent of the fall of the U.S. embassy in Saigon. Posted by: trailing wife 2014-06-28 |
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