Iraqi Air Force denies F-16 crash during Sovereignty Day flyover

BAGHDAD — The Iraqi Air Force on Friday denied reports that an F-16 fighter jet crashed during nationwide aerial displays marking Sovereignty Day, saying all participating aircraft returned safely to their bases and no crews were harmed.

An Air Force official told media outlets that reports of a military aircraft crashing or suffering a technical malfunction during the displays were “completely untrue.”

The denial followed claims on some social media pages that an Iraqi F-16 had suffered a technical fault and crashed in the desert near Hatra in Nineveh governorate, and that its pilot had ejected.

Security Media Cell chief Lt. Gen. Saad Maan also rejected the reports. “All the aircraft are safe, and so are the pilots,” he said.

“The aircraft put on a superb display on a great day for Iraq, and the pilots showed the highest level of skill and professionalism,” Maan said.

“It seems this sight, this display of Iraqi sovereignty, bothered some people, so they spread a rumor that a fighter jet had crashed,” he said.

Iraqi Air Force F-16s flew over Baghdad and several governorates Friday as part of displays celebrating Sovereignty Day and the completion of the U.S.-led coalition’s withdrawal from Iraq.

The Security Media Cell announced the displays a day earlier, saying aircraft from the Iraqi Air Force and Army Aviation Command would take part and inviting residents to watch.

The flights followed Iraq’s declaration that the coalition mission had ended after 12 years, with officials saying national forces had assumed full responsibility for security and that coalition countries would move to bilateral security relationships with Baghdad.