A plane carrying Australian Prime Minister John Howard was forced to make an emergency landing in Iraq after the cabin started to fill with smoke and fumes shortly after take-off, defence officials said Sunday.
Howard was on a secret visit to southern Iraq when the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) C-130 Hercules was forced back to Tallil airbase late Saturday, the RAAF said, according to AFP. The plane, which was carrying 30 people including the head of the Australian defence force Air Marshal Angus Houston, was on its way to Baghdad when the cabin filled with smoke.
The pilot turned the plane around as it reached an altitude of about 1,500 metres, forcing passengers to wear oxygen masks as the plane dropped into a rapid descent.
Smoke was billowing from the C-130 when it touched down at Tallil some 300 kilometres south of Baghdad and troops rushed to evacuate the prime minister, reports said.
"I'm fine. I was in very good hands. You can't get any better than the RAAF," Howard said. "It was a really good performance, and I want to thank everyone."
Earlier, Howard met Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, agreeing that Australia would maintain its troop commitment in Iraq until "terrorists are defeated". "There has been some progress but we still wish the Australians to remain until we have completely defeated the terrorists," al-Maliki told a news conference after the meeting.
