Small Wars Journal

Air Force F-15s, F-35s Dump 80,000 Pounds of Bombs on Iraqi Island

Tue, 09/10/2019 - 8:55pm

Air Force F-15s, F-35s Dump 80,000 Pounds of Bombs on Iraqi Island by Diana Stancy Correll – Air Force Times

The U.S.-led coalition countering ISIS in Iraq and Syria dumped 80,000 pounds of bombs on Qanus Island in Iraq on Tuesday to prevent the Islamic State from using the island as a refuge.

According to Operation Inherent Resolve spokesperson Col. Myles Caggins III, U.S. Air Force F-15 Strike Eagles and F-35 Lightning II aircraft conducted the strike. Caggins also shared a video on social media showing the strike against the “Daesh infested island.”

The F-35A Lightning IIs from the 388th Fighter Wing and the 419th Fighter Wing, both at Hill Air Force Base in Utah, arrived at Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates April 15, the first time the Air Force’s most advanced fighter jet has been deployed to the Middle East. They are assigned to the 4th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron.

According to CENTCOM, the operation was designed to halt ISIS insurgents from going undetected in the island’s thick vegetation…

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