The U.S. Air Force has begun moving heavily armed AC-130 airplanes the lethal "flying gunships" of the Vietnam War to a base in Iraq as commanders search for new tools to counter the Iraqi resistance, The Associated Press has learned.
I'm sure our military is pushing the Vietnam comparison to ensure reporters will back the idea that the planes are designed to fight in Iraq. But more recently, these gunships were useful in El Salvador to decimate communist rebels as they attacked what they believed to be vulnerable Salvadoran army units tromping through the bush. American advisors with the government units who carried radios called in the gunships and tore apart the enemy as they massed and tried to hit isolated Salvadoran units. And they did this even as our press went into full victory dance mode every time they caught an advisor carrying an M-16! Their radios were the real weapon yet our press had no clue.
So, since these planes were based elsewhere when used in Iraq, why are they going to Iraq now?
Are they really to support Iraqi security forces fighting jihadis and Sunnis when they rarely seem to operate in units larger than squad size? What are they going to do, fire up located IEDs? And if for Iraq, why not base them outside Iraq as before? As for their recon ability? Please. Send these rare planes when we have drones to do that job?
I don't know, but I think CENTCOM has different plans for these planes. Perhaps for deep inside Iran, where we are making it clear that we will not accept pretend European victories that cloak our surrender over the nuclear issue in nice words and detailed wax stamps affixed liberally to hide how complete the surrender is.
If we have special forces crawling around inside Iran when the bombs start falling and/or the revolution begins, our snake eaters will appreciate the firepower these planes provide for killing large numbers of enemies.
And I refuse to believe our president sought reelection to preside over the completion of Iran's threat to our future. We will act. And these gunships will play a role.
And it could be soon. The next couple weeks should be tense.
UPDATE: I suppose we might be looking real tactical and just want a system inside Iraq that can loiter, spot the shipments of shaped-charge IEDs that Iran is sending into Iraq, and then light them up with precise gunfire.
