There has been no official word on the fate of the pilot of the USAF F-16CG that crashed in Iraq early Monday morning as it was assisting coalition ground forces. According to an Associated Press news service follow-up report, an Iraqi eyewitness says the fighter could be seen flying erratically up and down just before it crashed some 20 miles northwest of Baghdad. The witness also said other coalition warplanes circled the area after the crash.
U.S. Southern Command recently announced its first lethal strike on a suspected narco-trafficking vessel in two months, and the first under a newly formed permanent counter-cartel task force. The U.S. is also reportedly planning to transfer MQ-9 drones to Colombia to bolster its counter-cartel efforts.