Carrier spearheads US show of strength in eastern Med

US planes operating from an aircraft carrier in the eastern Mediterranean have mounted at least 35 air strikes on Islamic State jihadists since relocating last week from the Gulf. In an operation commanders said was aimed at demonstrating the strength and flexibility of US forces in the region, F-18 fighter jets and support aircraft deployed on the USS Harry S. Truman made 50 combat sorties between Friday and midnight on Monday. In 35 of them, ordnance was dropped with the strikes split evenly across Syria and Iraq, according to the carrier's spokesman. All of the strikes were carried out while providing air support to fighters on the ground rather than the kind of direct attack that blew up a bank used by IS in the Iraqi city of Mosul in January. They also scattered pamphlets aimed at bolstering morale among forces fighting IS or warning civilians of imminent attacks in their area.