The Pentagon on Thursday denied claims from a pro-ISIS media outlet that the group had downed a US combat jet in Syria. The Amaq news agency, a main outlet for pro-ISIS propaganda, claimed Thursday morning that the group downed a USAF A-10 near Hasakah, Syria. Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook immediately denied the claim, saying all US aircraft had been accounted for. This isn’t the first time ISIS has claimed it had shot down a US plane. In July, Amaq said ISIS downed another US jet and killed its crew, prompting US Central Command to immediately deny that it happened.
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.