US Central Command Air Forces reports that a US Air Force F-16CG crashed about 20 miles northwest of Baghdad this morning. The fighter was supporting ground forces at the time. There is as yet no official word on the cause of the crash. Reuters news service reports that local residents say US forces immediately surrounded the crash site.
Navy Adm. Samuel J. Paparo Jr. assumed leadership of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, succeeding Navy Adm. John Aquilino at a change of command ceremony, urging action amid China's “increasing intrusive and expansionist claims,” on May 3