In a Sept. 25 air strike near Al Nussayyib, Iraq, a USAF F-16 dropped two inertial navigation system/Global Positioning System-guided 500-pound Joint Direct Attack Munitions, killing Abu Nasr al-Tunisi and two other al Qaeda operatives. Army Brig. Gen. Joseph Anderson, Multinational Corps Iraq chief of staff, told Pentagon reporters that al-Tunisi was a foreigner who brought al Qaeda members into Iraq. He was a one of an inner circle of advisors to Ayyub al-Masri, the overall al Qaeda leader in Iraq. Anderson said his death “deals a significant blow to their operation.”
U.S. Air Force F-35s and F-22s regularly deploy deep into the Pacific region from Alaska, Utah, and Hawaii. In the future, though, the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command would like to see the Air Force permanently station fifth-generation aircraft west of the international date line—closer to China.