Air Force and coalition aircraft flew 59 close air support missions on July 1 in Afghanistan and 23 in Iraq, Air Forces Central announced yesterday. In Afghanistan, a B-1B bomber took out enemy rocket positions near Gereshk with 500-pound and 2,000-pound joint direct attack munitions, while an MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle struck insurgents in the vicinity of Kandahar with a Hellfire missile. Near Bari Kowt, an A-10 and F-15E destroyed enemy forces with a 2,000-pound JDAM and 500-pound bomb. And in the area around Sar Hawzeh, A-10s dropped 500-pound laser-guided bombs and a 500-pound bomb to take out a high-value enemy command-and-control target as well as rocket positions, AFCENT said.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
