Iraq Air Force Expands CI Role

BAGHDAD [MENL] -- The Iraq Air Force, flushed with new platforms, has
expanded its role in the counter-insurgency campaign.
Officials said the air force has been using helicopters and fixed-wing
aircraft for reconnaissance and surveillance for ground troops in the war
against Al Qaida and Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias. They said the military
service has also been preparing to receive the first air attack platforms in
2009.
"The [Iraqi] air force is now conducting about 350 sorties a week and
playing an increasingly active counterinsurgency role, flying surveillance
and reconnaissance missions in support of the army, and providing important
logistic support," Brig. Gen. Johnny Torrens-Spence, deputy commander of
Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq, said.