Yahoo News US Air Force carpet-bombs ‘Isis-infested’ Iraq island with 40 tonnes of explosives
The US Air Force has dropped 40 tonnes of laser-guided explosives on to an island in northern Iraq it says is “infested” with members of Isis.
Colonel Myles B Caggins, the official spokesman of the coalition to defeat the jihadist militant group, posted a video showing the mission on Twitter.
Vast explosions that created huge mushroom clouds are shown in the clip, while Iraqi counter-terrorism troops watch on.
VIDEO: Here’s what it looks like when @USAFCENT #F15 and #F35 jets drop 36,000 Kg of bombs on a Daesh infested island. 🛩💥 هكذا تبدوا الجزيرة الموبوءة بداعش بعد أن أسقطت عليها الطائرات المقاتلة #أف-15 و #أف-35 36,000 كغم من الذخيرة pic.twitter.com/2v6FAEL9Rn
— OIR Spokesman Col. Myles B. Caggins III (@OIRSpox) September 10, 2019
The coalition said F15 and F35 warplanes took part in the bombing on Qanus Island in the Tigris River, north of Iraq’s capital, Baghdad.
Major General Eric T Hill, from the Special Operations Joint Task Force, said: “We’re denying Daesh [Isis] the ability to hide on Qanus Island.
“We’re setting the conditions for our partner forces to continue bringing stability to the region.”
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The bombs were dropped to “disrupt Daesh the ability to hide in the thick vegetation”.
Isis was defeated in Iraq in 2017 but sleeper cells have continued to carry out deadly bombings in the country.
Major General Hill added: “The pressure that we’re keeping on them keeps Daesh decentralised. We do see some unraveling of their communications.”
The bombings came as Donald Trump forced out his hawkish national security adviser John Bolton, with whom the US president had significant disagreements on Iran, Afghanistan and a cascade of other global challenges.
Since joining the administration in the spring of last year, Mr Bolton has advocated against Trump's decision last year to pull US troops out of Syria.
He masterminded a quiet campaign inside the administration and with allies abroad to persuade Trump to keep US forces in Syria to counter the remnants of Isis and Iranian influence in the region.
Mr Bolton was also opposed to Trump's now-scrapped notion to bring Taliban negotiators to Camp David last weekend to try to finalise a peace deal in Afghanistan.
Mr Trump said he would name a replacement for Mr Bolton next week.
