Coalition airstrikes on the city of Fallujah have increased as Iraqi forces prepare to retake the city held by ISIS extremists since 2014. In the past year or so, coalition aircraft have conducted 38 deliberate strikes on targets in the city, but now are increasing the pace of operations on dynamic targets that are developing in advance of the fight, said Lt. Gen. Charles Brown, commander of Air Forces Central Command, during a Thursday briefing. Coalition aircraft also are regularly flying reconnaissance support for the advance. Every time there is a ground force on the move, an airplane is above them, Brown said.
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.
