US jets targeted al Qaeda twice in the first few days of the new year, killing at least 20 fighters in the Idlib Province of Syria. US jets on Jan. 1 struck two vehicles near a headquarters facility in northwest Syria, killing at least five fighters, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said Thursday. On Jan. 3, US jets returned and bombed the headquarters facility itself, killing more than 15 fighters, Cook said, though the US is still assessing the results of the strike. The strikes were aimed at weakening al Qaeda in Syria and limiting its ability to attack the US, Cook said. The coalition also conducted several other strikes targeting ISIS in the region, including in the same province on Jan. 1.
The program executive officers for some of the Air Force’s largest acquisition management organizations are struggling to deal with an exodus of senior talent and experienced civilian staff, three of them told an industry conference.
