U.S. airstrikes level off in Iraq in recent days
The American military campaign against Sunni extremists in Iraq has leveled off in recent days as the U.S. weighs plans for expanded airstrikes and humanitarian-aid drops, officials said. Preparations were being made for operations near Haditha Dam and to provide relief to an Iraqi ethnic-minority group surrounded by Islamic State fighters. But new strikes and […]Dion Nissenbaum and Julian E. Barnes write for the Wall Street Journal:
The American military campaign against Sunni extremists in Iraq has leveled off in recent days as the U.S. weighs plans for expanded airstrikes and humanitarian-aid drops, officials said. Preparations were being made for operations near Haditha Dam and to provide relief to an Iraqi ethnic-minority group surrounded by Islamic State fighters. But new strikes and aid drops didn't appear imminent Wednesday, a reflection of the success the American air campaign and Kurdish fighters have had in blunting the momentum of the Sunni insurgent group.
Expanded U.S. operations, both in Iraq and Syria, remain a possibility. Military officials also are developing plans for strikes against Islamic State forces in Syria as part of a broader battle against the militant group that posted a video last week that showed it killed an American journalist. But officials cautioned that the White House isn't yet near a decision.
