US Central Command Air Forces reports that a US Air Force F-16CG crashed about 20 miles northwest of Baghdad this morning. The fighter was supporting ground forces at the time. There is as yet no official word on the cause of the crash. Reuters news service reports that local residents say US forces immediately surrounded the crash site.
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…

