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U.S. air shipping most supplies in Iraq to prevent convoy casalties
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SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Tuesday, November 7, 2006
BAGHDAD — The United States has enhanced cooperation
between the Army and Air Force to cope with assymetrical warfare tactics in Iraq.
The U.S. Army's 3rd Corps Support Command has shipped most of its
supplies to ground units throughout Iraq by air. The command, based in Camp
Anaconda, 85 kilometers north of Baghdad, flies 16,000 pallets of supplies
per month, Middle East Newsline reported. This marked a nearly 200 percent increase from a year ago.
The air supplies were meant to reduce U.S. Army casualties from
improvised explosive devices. Until 2006, most of army supplies were
transported by the 33,000 vehicles deployed in Iraq.
More than 900 of the 2,100 U.S. casualties in Iraq were said to have
been killed by IEDs. The U.S. Army has never released exact figures.
Officials said the Air Force has been conducting daily operations to
protect and support troops in Iraq. They said the air missions include
convoy protection, reconnaissance and supplies.
The Air Force has also used its navigation and
targeting pod for ground surveillance in Iraq. Officials said the F-16
multi-role fighter uses the Israeli-origin Litening system to scout insurgency ground threats for
both troops and convoys in Iraq.
Copyright © 2006 East West
Services, Inc.
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