Islamic State 'training pilots to fly fighter jets'

Iraqi pilots who have joined Islamic State are training its members in Syria to fly three captured fighter jets, according to a UK-based activist group that monitors the conflict.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said witnesses had seen the planes being flown around a military airport in Aleppo.

Meanwhile, Iraqi forces have launched an attack on IS militants near Tikrit.

The city was among the areas in Syria and Iraq seized by IS this year.

Rami Abdul Rahman, head of the SOHR, said IS was using Iraqi officers who were pilots under ex-Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to train fighters in Syria.

Islamic State 'training pilots to fly fighter jets'

The claims are that they have only 3 jets and these are ancient Mig-21's or 23's, so not much of a threat, but it does give IS an added dimension to their war efforts. I doubt they'd last that long though - either Syria's sophisticated air defence network will take them down or Coalition warplanes will, soon enough. Now the news has broken, I suspect the Pentagon is trying to confirm this information and will probably order a strike.

a reply to: stumason

My guess is they are Syrian jets. We just needed an "excuse" to bomb them.

The ISIS crisis. Covers all military interventions.

I doubt they're any threat to the US pilots.

I'd love to see their bumbling.

a reply to: intrptr

Yeah, we all know how your "guessing" is matey - usually predicated on no info at all and just your "gut feeling" which usually turns out to be bunk...

They are stolen Syrian jets, but now under the control of IS. You can be in denial all you like about IS, but it's real and isn't some bogus reason to bomb Syria - see Turkey twisting and turning to try and get the West to bomb Syria but they've resisted all the way, even when Turkey sat on the border of Kobane. If anything of what you said was true, we'd have seen action by now.

a reply to: stumason



Here we go.

We are going to commit a classic blunder... again.

Never get involved in a land war in Asia.

They could use them as a direct weapon, my guess would be they wont last 20 minutes.
The twenty Minuters

originally posted by: Soloprotocol
They could use them as a direct weapon, my guess would be they wont last 20 minutes.
The twenty Minuters

I suggest a use as suicide weapons to try and get Assad.

a reply to: stumason

They are stolen Syrian jets, but now under the control of IS.

Thats the main stream propaganda alright. "but now", just a little twist they put on the reasons they have violated International Law and Syrian Sovereignty.

They are Syrian jets, in Syria… not "in ISIS".

a reply to: stumason
Oh no-3 planes!
They pinched those 3 planes from the Syrian airforce base near Al Raquaa (sp) in Syria,the main IS headquarters if we believe the media.
Some Iraqi airforce pilots have defected to IS I heard on the news today...Sounds like a steaming pile of you know what to me-who in hell would switch sides to some retarded ideology goons who have the grand total of THREE probably sand logged,old and poorly maintained syrian migs or whatever they are?

Good luck IS you foolish psychopathic imbeciles.
Since the media knows anout the planes(if real)I guess they will soon be bombed by the "US led coalition."

Just as silly as planting their flag everywhere-instant target for airstrikes.

... and the stench of fear-mongering continues, like they're going to be any threat against the planes they would come up against

Additionally, the BBC is one vile organization.

I can imagine that any combat pilots on duty in that theatre would take this as great news, and they are jostling for the opportunity to take one of these ISIS jets down.

They pose hardly a threat to us at all. Let them fly, they will only be shot down immediately. The U.S. controls all airspace in any theater of war.

But these serve an entirely different purpose: propaganda.

What better way to show yourself to be a capable fighting force than to say "Look, we have an air force too!"

Watch for more of their propaganda films to come out with their fighter pilots featured. Young people will defect from all over the western world to get a chance to fly a fighter jet.

Although they never will truly have that chance.

originally posted by: stumason
a reply to: intrptr

Yeah, we all know how your "guessing" is matey - usually predicated on no info at all and just your "gut feeling" which usually turns out to be bunk...

They are stolen Syrian jets, but now under the control of IS. You can be in denial all you like about IS, but it's real and isn't some bogus reason to bomb Syria - see Turkey twisting and turning to try and get the West to bomb Syria but they've resisted all the way, even when Turkey sat on the border of Kobane.

kurt kobane???

Oh, the horror!

They need to impose that no-fly zone right now, to protect the poor civilians and coalition pilots dropping peace bombs and democracy missiles.

Another unconfirmed and unverified piece of drivel, to stoke fear and provide an excuse for the imposition of a no fly zone in Syria, that they want in order to hobble Syrian government forces and allow their ISIS fighters to make ground.

originally posted by: Soloprotocol
They could use them as a direct weapon, my guess would be they wont last 20 minutes.
The twenty Minuters

always treat your kite like your woman, get inside her 5 times a day and take her to heaven and back - love that quote

Granted this is old junk captured from the Syrians if however used wisely they with a little luck could be of some use. If they can keep them secure in bunkers on the ground and find the right time hit some targets while the coalition CAP is delayed by weather or keep them very low under cover of ISIS AD. Still the money and time wasted on them could be put to better use other places.

a reply to: Silcone Synapse

Since the media knows about the planes(if real)I guess they will soon be bombed by the "US led coalition."

Yah, the US military depends on CNN-tel all the time. As if those "targets" would be saved for the media to report on before the Air Force or Navy destroys them.

Please add to the existing discussion here:

www.abovetopsecret.com...


Closed. Thank you.