Are Russian Pilots About To Fly Combat Missions In Iraq?

Russian soldiers push a Russian Sukhoi Su-25 plane as it arrives in al-Muthanna Iraqi military base at Baghdad’s airport, June 28, 2014. (Reuters)

Exclusive: Putin’s Pilots Set to Fly Over Iraq -- Josh Rogin, Daily Beast

Russia may not have boots on the ground in Iraq—yet. But it will have them in the sky; Russian pilots could be flying over Iraq within days.

While the Obama administration struggles to speed up delivery of U.S. military assistance to the government of Iraq, Vladimir Putin has already delivered not only fighter jets but also the pilots needed to fly them, diplomatic sources told The Daily Beast.

On Monday, Russian television trumpeted the arrival of the first five of 12 promised Sukhoi Su-25 combat fighter jets to the Iraqi government, saying it had also sent “trainers” to help the Iraqis use them. Gen. Anwar Hama Ameen, the commander of the Iraqi Air Force, told The New York Times the fighter jets would enter the battle against ISIS within a few days, after which the Russian trainers would leave Iraq. He said Iraq had plenty of pilots with “long experience” flying the Su-25. The Russian ambassador to Iraq also said Russian pilots would not fly missions inside Iraq.

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My Comment: This would be a major strategic shift for Russia .... and a commitment to become involved in Iraq's civil war on a level that they are not even doing in Syria. It would also be a blow to U.S. influence in Iraq .... and a definite downgrade in it's reputation as being a reliable defense partner.

On a side note .... I must confess that the idea that Russian pilots would be flying combat missions in Iraq would have been inconceivable to me only a year ago. But then again .... who Could have predicted the fall of Libya's Gaddafi, the revolution in Egypt, the civil war in Syria, the unrest in Yemen, and the civil war in Iraq 4 years ago. Sighhh .... the world is certainly entering a far different and dangerous place .... and the outlook for the future (from my vantage point) is even darker.