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.
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.