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Mosul Iraqi Police, Army Units Supplied By Air

An Iraqi Air Force C-130 loaded with weapons and uniforms for the Iraqi National Police and Iraqi Army in Mosul, Iraq, landed at an airfield in the city to deliver the supplies Feb. 16.

The supplies included nearly 1,000 AK-47 assault rifles and uniforms.

"This is the first mission done by the Ministry of Interior in cooperation with the Ministry of Defence," said Iraqi Army Staff Brig. Gen. Khalaf, Chief of logistics for Iraqi National Police in the Mosul area. "As you know, the transportation by air will supply us with security and speed, and we hope to continue with these missions in the future."

The flight has an important significance to the Iraqi military as the C-130 used was maintained, flown and loaded all by Iraqi airmen.

"This is every day," said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Mark Brunworth, a senior advisor to the Iraqi Air Force's 23rd Squadron, which flew the mission. "This mission is showcasing Iraqi capabilities to go where they need to go when they need to go."

The supplies loaded onto the aircraft were also purchased via Foreign Military Sales, a program in which foreign nations such as Iraq, purchase equipment and other military necessities from the Unites States with their own money.

The Iraqi airmen from the 23rd Squadron, based out of New Al Muthana Air Base in Baghdad, have been flying missions on their own C-130s for the past two years.

In one of their largest missions, the airmen delivered supplies to the Mosul civilian airport in November 2007, allowing it to reopen and allow commercial flights to arrive and depart.

Source: Multi-National Force-Iraq