Iraq set to buy a new US-built military air force
Baghdad, 17 December - Iraqi defence minister Abdul Qadr Obeidi announced that the Iraqi military air force is set to be rebuilt, starting with the reopening of the air force academy in Tikrit yesterday. As he attended the arrival of four US-built T-6A trainer aircraft, to be followed by another four at the end of January and seven more at the end of next year, Obeidi said Iraq would have a squadron of between 18 and 24 fighter air planes by the end of 2011, when the US occupation forces would have completed their withdrawal. Speaking at the reopening ceremony for the old Tikrit air base, where once up to 40.000 Iraqi servicemen trained on and operated a 950-plane-fleet of mainly Russian and French production, US General Michael Barbero hailed the US-Iraqi joint venture as "an important step towards the reconstruction of the Iraqi air force and the restoration of the country's security".
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Had to get to work, of course 20 minutes later they started to depart! 
