The Air 
Force has delivered more than 50,000 meals to Pakistan as part of international relief efforts in the wake of devastating floods. A C-130H crew operating with the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, delivered nearly 8,000 packages of Halal—meals prepared according to Islamic laws—to Islamabad July 31, marking the first international aid to reach Pakistan since monsoon floods devastated dozens of villages, reportedly killing 1,500 people. “We had a quick response from the time we were notified to the time the pallets were on the airplane,” said Capt. Robert Dodson, the C-130H aircraft commander. A C-17 from the 385th Air Expeditionary Group subsequently delivered more than 44,000 meals on Aug. 1. (Bagram report by TSgt. Drew Nystrom) (See Tuesday’s Associated Press report for more background on the flooding.)
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…