Iraq says it was not warned about Russian missiles crossing its airspace

(MENAFN- The Peninsula)

By Loveday Morris

BAGHDAD: Iraq's Defense Ministry said Friday it was not informed when Russia launched more than two dozen cruise missiles across its airspace this week and it described the lack of coordination in the region's increasingly cluttered skies as "dangerous."

U.S. officials have also said they were given no notification before Russia fired the volley of 26 cruise missiles which traveled nearly 1000 miles across Iran and Iraq and into Syria from warships in the Caspian Sea - despite the ongoing presence of U.S.-led coalition jets in the airspace.

The revelations underline a hazardous lack of coordination of air assets in the skies above Iraq and Syria - one that threatens to complicate the coalition's campaign against Islamic State militants in the region. The Pentagon said this week that coalition planes have had to be rerouted to avoid collisions with Russian jets.

"Iraq didn't have any idea about those missiles" said Brig. Gen. Tahseen Ibrahim a spokesman for the Iraqi Defense Ministry. "We have coalition forces' air power in the air our planes in the air transportation. This is dangerous."

Ibrahim said Iraq would launch an investigation and raise concerns with Russia.

The incident occurred as Baghdad appears to be looking to expand cooperation with Moscow and just two weeks after the announcement of an intelligence-sharing deal between Russia Iraq Iran and Syria.

However Ibrahim said the coordination center at the heart of that deal is not yet fully functioning which is why the information was not shared. The lack of notification about Russia's cruise missiles was the main focus of discussions when Gen. John R. Allen the retired U.S. officer in charge of the international coalition to counter the Islamic State visited the Iraqi Defense Ministry on Thursday Ibrahim said.

Asked about coordination with the Iraqi military a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry directed a reporter to the Defense Ministry which did not respond to telephone calls or faxes Friday afternoon. Dmitry Peskov the spokesman for President Vladimir Putin also did not return calls from The Washington Post. The Russian media have reported that coordination had taken place with both Iran and Iraq.

The long-range Kalibr cruise missiles are new to the Russian arsenal. "If you pre-plot the route it's still going to have some degree of maneuverability" said Ben Moores a defense analyst with IHS Janes in London. "I suspect the weapons have the capability to go around things."

Still several of the cruise missiles fired from Russian ships at targets in Syria on Wednesday crashed in Iran according to Pentagon officials.

Peskov told a group of reporters Friday that the Kremlin would not comment on reports that some cruise missiles had fallen short of their targets.

"It is not important how the Kremlin takes this; it is important how Iran takes this and Iran has refuted this" Peskov said during a conference call.

There has been speculation that Russia will expand its airstrikes to Iraq after Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said he would welcome such a move. However the Iraqi government has not submitted a formal request along these lines Russian and Iraqi officials have said.

That move would likely be opposed by Washington which is still attempting to "deconflict" its operations in Syria from those of the Russians.

"Any additional air activity in the skies over Iraq or Syria increases the possibility of an air mishap" said Army Col. Steve Warren a spokesman for the U.S. military in Baghdad. "This is why we had a discussion with Russia about safety procedures. We have presented a proposal about safety to the Russians and they have not yet responded."

The Washington Post