in three years, iraq will be the modern equivalent of a cold war soviet client state. the administration could not have done a better job of dealing the russians back into a position of influence in the middle east if it had tried.

Quote:Russian fighter jets arrive in Iraq for fight against rebels
First five Sukhoi Su-25 fighters expected to go into action within days, according to Iraqi defense ministry.

Iraq has taken delivery of a batch of Russian fighter jets for its defense against Sunni militants, the Iraqi defense ministry announced on Sunday morning, accord to a report in the BBC.

The first five Sukhoi Su-25 attack aircraft would enter service in "three to four days," according to the report.


The Sunni rebels launched their offensive against the Shi'ite-dominated government three weeks ago and currently control large swathes of the north and west of the country.

The deal with Russia "was aimed at increasing the firepower of the air force and the rest of the armed forces in order to fight terrorism," the ministry said in a statement.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told the BBC last week that his government had signed a deal with Russia and Belarus to supply second-hand jet fighters, reportedly at a cost of some $500 million (two billion shekels).

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Sounds like they needed them badly though.
Would have thought Iran would have given them their old jets back
that they flew to Iran when we were tearing up their airfields. Sure.