An Air Force Predator UAV provided close air support for coalition troops under attack from anti-Iraqi forces in the vicinity of Tikrit, Iraq, on Jan. 22. The Predator fired one Hellfire missile, striking a vehicle armed with an improvised explosive device. On Jan. 21, Air Force F-16s provided close air support to coalition troops fighting anti-Iraqi forces in the vicinity of Baquaba. An F-16 fired one precision-guided munition and struck an enemy position.
The U.S. sent Air Force F-16s over central Syria in a show of force following the Dec. 13 killing of two U.S. Army Soldiers and one American civilian interpreter by a gunman linked to the Islamic State group.

