A-10s to the rescue in fight against ISIS

In case you missed it, Politico recently published a detailed story about the A-10 aircraft and its debut in the fight against ISIS. On Capitol Hill, the news brought cheers from supporters of the aging combat jet.
A-10 Warthogs, similar to those stationed at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Michigan's largest military installation, have been spotted in the skies over Iraq during U.S. bombing missions targeting ISIS forces.
An Indiana National Guard unit that flies A-10s was deployed to Iraq in September but its mission was a mystery until a crudely made video showed up on YouTube that shows one or more A-10s flying above the battlefields of western Iraq.
According to Politico, the video appeared to show the Warthog in action above the town of Rawah. The jet is seen attacking with its dreaded 30mm Gatling gun, which produces "an unmistakable deadly belch."

The angle to the Politico story is that the A-10 continues to survive the budget wars in Washington and now it is back in action, playing a role in the war against terror. While the Air Force brass keep trying to send the planes to the boneyard, lawmakers such as Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and Rep. Candice Miller of Harrison Township have beaten back those attempts.

Here's a bit of the Politico piece:
"...The U.S. Central Command ... (sent) the A-10 out alongside Lockheed Martin-built F-16 Fighting Falcons, Boeing F-15E Strike Eagles and B-1B Lancer bombers. Lt. Gen. James Terry, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said Thursday that air power has succeeded in virtually stopping the forward progress of the (ISIS) terror group, which he called by another Arabic nickname.

“We will continue to be persistent in this regard, and we will strike Da’esh at every opportunity,” Terry said.

The U.S. has conducted more than 1,300 airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, Terry said, although neither the A-10 nor any other American fixed-wing warplanes are based inside Iraq itself. Instead, they’re flying from bases in Kuwait, Jordan, Qatar and elsewhere.