Iraq's Post-Hussein Air Force Finds Its Wings Clipped

U.S. military officials say that addressing the question of when they will allow the Iraqi air force to acquire combat capabilities is years away. The U.S. Air Force, they say, will retain control of Iraqi airspace for the foreseeable future, regardless of any drawdown of ground troops......

"I think they're afraid of terrorists taking over the air force and attacking American bases," said an Iraqi airman who spoke on condition of anonymity.
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Although U.S. officials describe a harmonious collaboration between the Iraqi airmen and their American advisors, Iraqi officials portray it as fraught with suspicion.

One Iraqi air force official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Iraqis were routinely kept in the dark about missions, and sometimes found their requests for flight missions inexplicably denied.