Iraq agrees to buy 24 Czech combat and training aircraft![]() October 12, 2012 - 15:26 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Iraq has agreed to purchase 24 combat and training aircraft from the Czech Republic for about $1 billion as part of its program to rebuild its air force, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's media advisor said on Friday, Oct 12, according to Reuters. Iraq will buy Czech L159 jets with the first planes arriving over the next seven months, Ali al-Moussawi said. Iraq has no real air force since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein and Baghdad says it will not be able to defend its airspace until 2020. Iraq is also purchasing U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets. Azerbaijani authorities report that they have already resettled 3,000 people in the Nagorno-Karabakh town of Stepanakert. On June 10, Azerbaijani President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev will leave for Turkey on a working visit. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. Partner news |