The US military now has to ask the Iraqis for permission before giving close air support to troops in combat
Jeff Schogol
August 19, 2019 at 04:57 PM
U.S. forces must now ask the Iraqi military for permission to fly in Iraqi airspace before coming to the aid of U.S. troops under fire, a top military spokesman said.
However, the mandatory approval process is not expected to slow down the time it takes the U.S. military to launch close air support and casualty evacuation missions for troops in the middle of a fight, said Army Col. James Rawlinson, a spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve.
"In emergency circumstances, CJTF-OIR and the government of Iraq have a process to ensure there would be no delays in transporting injured service members to medical facilities or to provide force protection for any coalition troops," Rawlinson told Task & Purpose on Monday. "For more routine flights, the Government of Iraq has visibility over all CJTF-OIR aviation missions, and we comply strictly with restricted airspace."
https://taskandpurpose.com/us-military-iraqi-airspace-permission
