Several key air strikes by coalition aircraft have killed key terrorists and destroyed insurgent strongholds and vehicles armed with anti-aircraft artillery, according to Multinational Force Iraq news releases. One such strike, which took place March 2 west of Taji, targeted an insurgent network responsible for attacks on coalition aircraft. Another air strike in Arab Jabour on March 3 led to the rescue of four Iraqi citizens and the death of seven terrorists hiding inside a structure with an AAA and rocket propelled grenades. In Mosul on March 5, air strikes, probably conducted by USAF F-16s according to a release from US Central Command Air Force, destroyed a building housing materials used in roadside bombs.
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.