"We have indications that they did indeed fly air strikes with F-4 Phantoms in the past several days," Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby told AFP.
Kirby told AP that the US believes this may be the first time Tehran has launched manned aircraft from inside Iran to strike targets in Iraq.
The Pentagon spokesman said the US has not coordinated airstrikes or military activities with Iran. He said the US is continuing to fly missions over Iraq and it is up to the Iraqi government to avoid conflicts in its own airspace.
- Iranian military leaders have acknowledged that dozens of their forces have been in Iraq fighting alongside Kurdish troops battling extremists.
The US has not invited Iran to join the coalition fighting the so-called Islamic State group (also known as ISIS and ISIL), and Iran has said it would not join in any case.
On Wednesday US Secretary of State John Kerry is set to host the first high-level meeting of the 60-member coalition, which includes the UK, France, Jordan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
Kerry, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and foreign ministers from European, Arab and other countries will meet at NATO headquarters in Brussels to discuss the best military strategy against the group.
They will also look at how to stem the flow of foreign fighters and delegitimise the powerful IS “brand” that has drawn jihadists from several Western countries, officials told reporters.
(FRANCE 24 with AP, AFP)
3/12/14
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USA: Iran bombardiert IS-Stellungen im Irak – Teheran dementiert ...
ReplyDeleteIrans Militärkommando hat die Berichte des US-Verteidigungsministeriums dementiert, wonach die iranische Luftwaffe Angriffe gegen die Terrormiliz Islamischer Staat (IS) im Irak geflogen hat.
Zuvor hatte der Pentagon-Sprecher, Konteradmiral John Kirby, mitgeteilt, Washington verfüge über Beweise, dass der Iran in den vergangenen Tagen im Irak IS-Stellungen aus der Luft angegriffen hat. Im Einsatz seien F-4-Phantom-Kampfjets gewesen.
Die Erklärungen des Pentagon „entsprechen überhaupt nicht der Wirklichkeit“, meldet die Agentur Fars News am Mittwoch unter Berufung auf den iranischen Generalstabschef, Brigadegeneral Massoud Jazayeri.....................http://de.ria.ru/security_and_military/20141203/270133701.html
3/12/14
Iranian official confirms Iran struck ISIS in Iraq ...
ReplyDeleteIran's deputy foreign minister confirmed that his country carried out air strikes against Islamic State in eastern Iraq. In an interview for the British Guardian, Ebrahim Rahimpour said the air strikes were coordinated with the Iraqi government, but not with the U.S.
Rahimpour also said the attacks, conducted last month near the Iranian border, were intended to protect the interests of "our friends" in Iraq, meaning the Iraqi government and the autonomous Kurdish zone to the north, which fights against ISIS.
This week the Pentagon confirmed that Iran struck ISIS targets in Iraq. The Pentagon said that the U.S. believes this is the first time Tehran has struck targets in Iraq with manned aircraft. The Pentagon denied that the air strikes were coordinated with the U.S. (Haaretz)
5/12/14
Iran confirms air strikes in Iraq against Islamic State: Guardian newspaper...
ReplyDelete(Reuters) - A senior Iranian official has confirmed his country carried out air strikes in neighboring Iraq against Islamic State fighters at the request of Iraqi authorities, Britain's Guardian newspaper reported.
It quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Ebrahim Rahimpour as saying the strikes were not coordinated with the United States, which is also waging an air campaign against the radical Sunni Muslim militants who control large parts of north and west Iraq.
The purpose of the strikes was "the defense of the interests of our friends in Iraq", the newspaper quoted Rahimpour as saying in an interview in London.............http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/06/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-iran-idUSKCN0JK07I20141206?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews
6/12/14