US aircraft hit ISIS targets in Afghanistan with about 80 airstrikes through the end of March, the strong majority of the nearly 100 airstrikes conducted during the first three months of the year. The strikes, which occurred mostly in the Nangarhar Province, hit every part of the ISIS network in an effort to keep the terrorists focused on “trying to survive” instead of planning attacks, Army Brig. Gen. Charles Cleveland, the deputy chief of staff for communication for the Resolute Support mission, said during a Thursday briefing. Three months ago, US intelligence showed ISIS personnel in six to eight districts. N?ow it appears like that number has shrunk to about two to three districts. The total ISIS force in Afghanistan is somewhere between 1,000 and 3,000, Cleveland said. (See also: Increasing Airstrikes in Afghanistan.)
The U.S. military is sending more fighter jets to the Middle East to step up its war with Iran, adding to what is already the largest buildup of airpower in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. For now, the operation shows little sign of coming to a quick…