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The U. S. military has carried out retaliatory measures against Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. The move follows a series of attacks on U. S. and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria, and such measures will need to be conscientiously controlled to derail ongoing efforts to suppress ISIS/ISIS remnants in the region.
Since October 17, US forces have faced 66 attacks in Iraq and Syria. Most of those attacks involved unilateral drones or suicide rockets and are a result of ongoing violence between Israel and Hamas. The escalation began after Hamas’s incursion into Israel. on October 7, resulting in an overwhelming response from the Israeli military. This, in turn, triggered attacks against US and allied forces through Iranian-backed groups.
U. S. warplanes took action at two facilities in Iraq on Tuesday night in an effort to dismantle critical operations by the Kataeb Hezbollah militia, an organization with close ties to Iran. This operation followed an earlier incident in which U. S. forces responded to an attack on the Ain al-Asad airbase.
The much-vaunted AC-130J Ghostrider, a highly complex variant of the AC-130 gunship, played a central role in the U. S. action at Ain al-Asad. Known for its formidable firepower, the AC-130J is a heavily modified C-. 130 transport aircraft supplied with the “Precision Strike Package”. It is operated solely through U. S. Special Operations Forces. U. S.
The Ghostrider’s special apparatus includes a project control console, a special communications suite, two highly complex electro-optical/infrared sensors, a complex stack apparatus, precision-guided ammunition delivery capability, and huge 30 mm and 105 mm cannons that can be trained. The main features of this air giant are close air support, air interdiction and armed reconnaissance, making it particularly suitable for urban operations and the delivery of low-yield precision munitions against ground targets. Despite its power, the AC-130J is precise and surgical by comparison. To Traditional Air Weapons: Can take out gunmen on the ground without harming others nearby.
The presence of the plane in the air during a missile attack on the Al-Asad air base was a great credit to the Americans. Its rapid availability made it possible to temporarily identify the source of the attack and temporarily take action against its perpetrators. Ghostrider’s surveillance features have been very important in tracking the movements of militants.
The fighting comes at a very delicate time for the Iraqi government, as the country has a gigantic Shiite population and the ruling coalition relies heavily on Iranian-backed Shiite militias for stability. The recent attacks have put Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in a difficult position. Any overly competitive U. S. action against Shiite militias could inadvertently destabilize the government. But while al-Sudani belongs to Iranian-backed groups, he also seeks to maintain smart relations with the United States and has avoided the continued presence of U. S. troops in his country.
The U. S. maintains about 2,000 troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria. In addition to fighting ISIS/ISIS, the U. S. is the al-Tanf garrison in Syria to monitor Iranian proxies moving weapons across the border. The Biden administration has increased military roles in the Middle East, adding warships, fighter jets and air defense systems, to deter militant teams from escalating the conflict.
British special operations troops, specifically the Special Air Service (SAS), were also actively involved in operations in Iraq. One notable incident occurred in January 2021, when an SAS soldier was seriously injured during a covert night operation against the Islamic State near Baiji. Although news about operations is scarce due to the troops on the ground being mostly special operations personnel, British and U. S. forces are reportedly expanding their operational pace against ISIS after a Covid-induced pause.
Any withdrawal of U. S. and allied forces from Iraq and/or Syria would lead to a resurgence of ISIS, so the Iraqi government and the U. S. would not be able to defend the Islamic State. The U. S. is willing to keep Western troops there. But overly competitive action against the Shiite militias that lately attack U. S. bases may simply break Iraq’s fragile government, leading to civil war or at least internal conflicts, hampering Western operations and creating a vacuum that the resurgence of ISIS could simply exploit.
It’s a delicate situation calling for carefully targeted action by the US to defend its bases without doing more than the minimum necessary amount of damage. This is, of course, the sort of mission the special forces are supposed to excel at: and weapon systems such as the AC-130J Ghostrider fit into that philosophy conveniently.
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