A US Air Force AC-130 gunship conducted another strike against al Qaeda in Somalia this week, reported the Washington Post. If so, it would be the second this month, but Pentagon officials, so far, have refused to confirm the report. Spokesman Bryan Whitman said Wednesday, “The nature of some of our operations are such that I just won’t be able to provide you much information.” He did say that US concerns about al Qaeda operations in the region, so “we’re working with countries throughout that AOR [area of responsibility] to identify, track, seek, capture, and, if necessary, kill al Qaeda working, taking safe haven, operating in that region.”
The six-week government shutdown did not affect the hours flown by Air Force pilots, a service spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine—avoiding what could have been a major blow at a time when flying hours are already lower than they have been in decades.
