An Iraqi pilot who has been training in the United States for four years was flying an F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft that crashed in southern Arizona, a spokesman for the Iraqi defense minister said Thursday.
“We have no word yet on his fate or the reason behind the crash,” Brig. Gen. Tahseen Ibrahim told The Associated Press. “We are in contact with the Americans to get more details.”
Ibrahim confirmed the pilot is Brig. Gen. Rafid Mohammed Hassan. The fighter crashed about 8 p.m. Wednesday in grassland some five miles away from the Douglas airport during a night training mission, Arizona Air National Guard spokeswoman 2nd Lt. Lacey Roberts said in a news release late Wednesday.
For the complete story by Curt Prendergast of the Arizona Daily Star, click here.
