First U.S. Airstrike Against ISIS Using B-52 Bombers

The U.S. military has announced that it has conducted an airstrike against the positions of the 'Islamic State' in Iraq for the first time using the strategic B-52 bomber. Colonel Steve Warren, spokesperson for the coalition operations against the Islamic State, who is present in Baghdad, stated on April 20 that this attack took place on Monday in northwestern Iraq, south of Mosul. According to the 'Military' website, the last time B-52 bombers were used for airstrikes in a Middle Eastern country was in the 1990s during operations in Iraq. This website also reported that B-52s have been used in operational flights against the Taliban and al-Qaeda. The news of this operation comes shortly after U.S. defense officials announced that more than 200 additional personnel have been deployed to Iraq and, for the first time, Apache helicopters are being sent to fight the group known as the 'Islamic State' in that country. The U.S.-led coalition is conducting attacks against this group in both Iraq and Syria. During Tuesday and Wednesday, many coalition attacks focused on the Mosul area, where the Iraqi army and Kurdish Peshmerga forces are also trying to tighten the siege and isolate ISIS forces. In a coalition statement, it was mentioned that out of the recent 21 attacks, 9 occurred around Mosul, targeting not only ISIS vehicles and military equipment but also a power plant used by the group. AFP also reported that the U.S. command, with the help of Peshmerga forces, carried out an attack against a senior commander of the Islamic State group. The construction of the 'B-52 Stratofortress' bombers dates back to the Eisenhower presidency. Boeing designed and built this strategic and supersonic aircraft for the U.S. military. The B-52 can reach altitudes of 15,000 meters and can carry both conventional bombs and nuclear weapons.