Home World An Iraqi pilot gave America a gift and drove Moscow crazy

An Iraqi pilot gave America a gift and drove Moscow crazy

With the end of World War II, the world was plunged into the horrors of the Cold War that brought yesterday’s allies face to face. In the midst of this war, which represented an undeclared conflict between the eastern and western camps, the world witnessed an arms race between the Soviet Union and the United States of America, seeking to acquire the latest technologies and technologies. military and produce the largest possible number of nuclear warheads.

Furthermore, espionage operations were one of the most important pillars of the Cold War. For nearly 45 years, Americans and Soviets have not hesitated to rely on spies to obtain military secrets and reveal the extent of the other side’s superiority. In the midst of this undeclared conflict, in the mid-1960s, the Americans obtained a prized capture through which they exposed the most important Soviet technologies thanks to an Iraqi pilot known as Munir Rofa.

Soviet fears

In the sixties of the last century, the United States of America allocated an important budget to support the Central Intelligence Agency, which tended to recruit large numbers of agents on its behalf to combat the Soviet Union’s growing global influence. Furthermore, the MiG-21 represented one of the most important Soviet military secrets that the Americans sought to obtain in various ways. Meanwhile, Moscow has stepped up its efforts to preserve the secrets of this advanced combat aircraft, according to the standard of that period, and steadfastly refused to hand it over to other allied countries.

Following a series of events that shook the world, such as the coup in Guatemala and Congo, the multiple assassination attempts of Fidel Castro and the death of Iraqi president Abd al-Salam Aref in mysterious circumstances, the Soviet Union accepted the supply process a number of allied countries in Middle East with a MiG-21 aircraft. Among these countries, Egypt got Syria and Iraq on this fighter plane. In the midst of these events, the Soviet Union exercised tight control over MiG-21 deliveries to ensure that its technology was not diverted to Western countries.

According to many reports, former Iraqi president Abd al-Salam Aref, prior to his death, played an important role in persuading the Soviets of the need for Iraq to acquire MiG-21 fighters. And between 1961 and 1963, the Soviets, according to Mossad Reports, began bargaining for the supply of MiG-21 fighters, which soon became the most important pieces of air warfare. in Egypt, Syria and Iraq.

Leak in Israel

In the midst of these events, the Mossad turned to a number of Iraqi pilots to recruit them for it. With some of them refusing to deal with the Israeli side, Mossad agents did not hesitate to kill them in order to preserve the secrecy of the operation through which they tried to obtain the MiG-21 fighter.

Later, the Mossad found what it was looking for in the character of the Iraqi Christian pilot, Munir Rofa. At that time, Israeli agents tended to influence Munir Rofa, depending on the religious factor. In exchange for his acceptance of this difficult task, Munir Rofa called on the Israeli authorities to ensure that his family leaves Iraq to live in the United States of America, for fear of the security consequences that could affect them. of them if they stay in Iraq.

And by finding the right agent, Israeli intelligence partnered with its American and Iranian counterparts, during the reign of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and with the British to ensure the success of the mission. With Israeli-Iranian cooperation, Mounir Rofa’s family has been relocated in Iran before receiving safe passage in Israel in following.

On the morning of August 16, 1966, Munir Rafa deliberately delayed routine Iraqi air force training to get his MiG-21 plane to take off. in delay, in coinciding with his success in convincing his commander that he was close to joining the squadron.

While heedless, Munir Rofa increased the speed of his plane and changed its direction towards Israeli territory, in coincidence with the interruption of contact with his companions who have moved away from him at a great distance during the exercise. While flying to Israel, Munir Rafa bypassed Iraqi defenses, which were unaware of the matter, and managed to mislead Jordanian warplanes, which were technologically behind their Iraqi counterparts.

With the landing of Rofa at Israeli airports, the Israeli air force got its hands on the MiG-21 aircraft, which was the cornerstone of the air forces in Iraq, Syria and Egypt. At the same time, the Israelis conducted studies on this fighter plane before handing it over to US officials for dismantling and understanding of its features and the technology adopted for its manufacture.

This Mossad-led intelligence operation infuriated Soviet officials who had previously attempted, in various ways, of preventing the escape of MiG-21 technology.

Furthermore, the Munir Rofa incident played an important role in the 1967 defeat, in coinciding with the acquisition by the Israelis of the technology of the most advanced aircraft of the Arab armies.

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