US Central Command believes that, on Saturday, an airstrike using a precision guided munition killed the “senior al Qaeda terror consultant and foreign fighter facilitator known as ‘Sheik,’ ” who was in a house in Ubaydi in western Iraq. Officials think the Sheik was in the area to confer with Abu Islam, another top al Qaeda figure killed in a recent airstrike. Connecting the dots: A USAF F-16 on Saturday flew a pre-planned strike, firing one GBU-38. It was the only preplanned airstrike noted for that day. Bingo.
Air Force Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich assumed command of U.S. European Command on July 1, taking over the key assignment as the U.S. and its allies contend with a resurgent Russia and a grinding war in Ukraine.
