The United States delivered on its arms deal with Iraq in the form of four F-16 warplanes that landed at Balad air base north of Baghdad on Monday, the first batch of a delayed delivery aimed at boosting Iraq’s military capacity, AFP reported.
"Arrival of four F-16s at Balad air base," read a flash on the ministry's website, in an announcement also confirmed to AFP by the prime minister's office.
The arrival of the jets was also confirmed by Brett McGurk, U.S. President Barack Obama's deputy envoy for the international coalition against Daesh.
"After years of preparation & training in the U.S., Iraqi pilots today landed the 1st squadron of Iraqi F16s in #Iraq," he said on social media.
The delivery had most recently been delayed for security reasons, as government forces were recently battling Daesh fighters not far from the air base earlier this year, AFP reported.
