Iraq received three transport aircraft on Monday and is slated to take delivery of three more soon, the US embassy said. "The Iraqi air force received three C-130J transport aircraft during a delivery ceremony in Baghdad... An additional three C-130J aircraft are scheduled for delivery in the near future, including support equipment and training," it said in a statement.

The delivery comes on the eve of the first anniversary of the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq after almost nine years in the country. The two countries still have close military ties, and Iraq has ordered billions of dollars of military equipment from the US, including M1 Abrams tanks and F-16 jets.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2012