According to Central Command, US airstrikes in Iraq and Syria have escalated in June to the point that they are at their highest level so far in 2016. Over 3,000 bombs were dropped on ISIS targets during the month of June.
Officials say this was near the peak level of US airstrikes throughout the ISIS war, and that they had dropped around 3,100 bombs on the area in November and December of last year, apparently coinciding with the push against the area around the since-destroyed city of Ramadi.
Air Force Centcom officials say their statistics also show a steady increase in the number of airstrikes carried out in the Afghan War, meaning the overall trend is toward escalation of America’s many air wars this year. With Iraqi forces nearing Mosul, the escalation against ISIS is likely to grow even further too.
It’s not just the air war that is escalated either, with the Pentagon having just confirmed one of their largest increases in the number of ground troops in Iraq last week, and following it up by saying they expect even more escalations going forward.