US advisers deployed to Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq to assist Kurdish Peshmerga forces in a large offensive to retake a critical supply line from ISIS control, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said in an Nov. 12 briefing. Cook was careful to note that the advisers are not joint terminal attack controllers, but said they are helping local forces “in the selection” of locations for airstrikes. US aircraft have conducted 36 airstrikes in the past 24 hours, letting Peshmerga forces reclaim part of the area. The forces are advising in a “collaborative effort” with the local forces. The operation, called “Operation Free Sinjar” in a coalition release, is focused on reclaiming Highway 47, which is a supply route ISIS uses between Ar Raqqah, Syria, and Mosul, Iraq. The operation began with an early morning ground offensive by Peshmerga forces to establish blocking positions along the highway. (See also Breaking the Siege on Sinjar from the October issue of Air Force Magazine.)
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.
