On Sunday, the Pentagon had announced that its air war against ISIS in Iraq was now including attacks by AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, operating out of the Baghdad airport and carrying Hellfire and other missiles.
Officials are presenting the helicopters as likely to be more accurate than the warplanes flying 30,000 feet overhead, in spite of a long line of civilian casualties caused in helicopter attacks during the last Iraq war.
The big difference, rather, is that the Apaches are far more likely to be shot down by ISIS, flying at much lower altitudes more readily reached by the shoulder-fired missiles ISIS is awash in, provided to target Syrian helicopters doing the exact same thing
The eventuality of such a shootdown is likely to mean US ground troops sent on rescue missions to try to recover the downed pilots. This could end up being the pretext for launching a ground operation against ISIS, and such an incident seems only a matter of time.
Great report on the helicopter escalation. Which is being totally ignored by our local corporate media affiliates today. In fact the entire Syrian war has been regulated to the back pages of the Star Trib. just as this major step towards ground operations occurs. Also being ignored is the whole problem west of Baghdad. The main US. air base is threatened and all the advisers in the region are totally dependent on that air base.
Now, why do you think the "local (and national) corporate media" have been running the ebola stories at the top of the broadcasts? You know, the ebola "crisis" which can only be spread thru direct contact with bodily fluids of the infected ofwhich the media continually remind us of but also continue to emphasize in bold in-your-face-better-beware 128pt print – instead of the currently escalating build up of US "boots on the ground."
Oh, look over there…
The same Star Tribune back page for the Iraq, Syria war with no mention of the heavy fighting in Western Anbar province where the Abu Gahrib and Fallujah airports are under attack. These airlines are the only way out for numerous U.S. "advisers" already on the ground. This part of the war is being totally blocked by our dominant internet and print media outlet for Minneapolis and St. Paul metro area.