In two separate operations in Iraq, ground forces called in close air support aircraft, which used precision guided munitions to strike targets near Arab Jabour on Wednesday and Amiriyah on Thursday. Seven enemy fighters in a group believed responsible for a large number of vehicle-borne improvised explosive device attacks in Baghdad had coalition forces under “intense” fire near Arab Jabour, according to a US Central Command release. Aircraft dropped two PGMs, destroying the building in which they were operating. And, CENTCOM estimates that airstrikes killed 13 terrorists in two suspected foreign fighter safe houses northeast of Amiriyah.
The U.S. continued to move a significant amount of airpower toward the Middle East in recent days as talks to forge a nuclear deal with Iran hung in the balance. Flight tracking data indicate there was unusually heavy movement of dozens of fighter jets and other assets that might be…
