US, coalition airstrikes in CENTCOM region plummet amid withdrawal plans
By Rachel Cohen
Thursday, Aug 12
Though the United States is still dropping ordnance on the Taliban and Islamic State group, the pace of U.S.-led airstrikes in the Middle East has slowed considerably in 2021. Reconnaissance flights appear to be tapering off as well, according to new figures provided to Air Force Times.
Since Jan. 1, manned and unmanned American and coalition aircraft have conducted more than 400 airstrikes across the Middle East in a sporadic yet enduring campaign to help local militaries keep the Taliban, Islamic State and other militias at bay, Air Forces Central Command said Aug. 6.
“It hasn’t been a consistent year,” AFCENT boss Lt. Gen. Gregory Guillot told Air Force Times in an Aug. 3 interview. “We might go a few days without any strikes, and then we’ll go through several days, at the time, in both Afghanistan and in Iraq and Syria, with 50 strikes in a row, and it’ll quiet down.”
https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2021/08/12/us-coalition-airstrikes-in-centcom-region-plummet-amid-withdrawal-plans/
