Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki says he wants 36 F-16 fighter jets from the U.S., and that he needs American trainers to remain in the country to teach pilots. Maliki didn’t say whether those trainers would be private contractors or active troops, which would require American military to remain in the country past the deadline for their withdrawal. The new deal would more than double the number of planes Iraq initially planned to buy.
