VIDEO -- Iraq warplane accidentally bombs Baghdad, killing seven

by **Ponee** Mon Jul 06, 2015 9:40 am

People stand outside houses that were damaged after an Iraqi plane accidentally dropped a bomb in the Ni'iriya district of Baghdad Photo: Reuters

[size=18]An Iraqi government warplane accidentally bombed eastern Baghdad on Monday, killing at least seven people, security and medical officials said.

The bomb fell from an Sukhoi warplane because of a "technical problem", security spokesman Brigadier General Saad Maan said in a statement.

"One of the bombs became stuck because of a technical problem, and during its [the aircraft's] return to base it fell on three houses in Baghdad Jadida," he said.

VIDEO -- Iraq warplane accidentally bombs Baghdad, killing seven Baghdad_friendly_f_3365915b

VIDEO -- Iraq warplane accidentally bombs Baghdad, killing seven Baghdad_friendly_f_3365915b

^{A man carries an injured child found in the rubble after the bombing (Reuters)}
The jet was coming back from a bombing run when the accident occurred, Mr Maan said.
Officials said that the blast, which occurred near the Rasheed air base, also wounded at least 11 people.

Iraq received Sukhoi Su-25 jets from Russia and Iran last year as it sought to bolster its fledgling air force to combat the Islamic State jihadist group, which overran large parts of the country.

VIDEO -- Iraq warplane accidentally bombs Baghdad, killing seven Baghdad_friendly_f_3365917b

VIDEO -- Iraq warplane accidentally bombs Baghdad, killing seven Baghdad_friendly_f_3365917b

^{The accident occurred near the Rasheed air base (Reuters)}

The Su-25s are robust aircraft designed for ground attack missions, but Iraq's Sukhoi fleet is made up of ageing planes that have seen heavy use as Baghdad's forces battle to push the jihadists back.

The US agreed to sell Iraq 36 F-16 warplanes, but none have been delivered so far.

The first batch of the jets has instead been sent to Arizona, where Iraqi F-16 pilots are training.

One of the pilots, Brigadier Rasid Mohammed Sadiq, was killed in a crash during an aerial refuelling exercise at the end of June.[/size]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/11720381/Iraq-warplane-accidentally-bombs-Baghdad-killing-seven.html