The U.S. Defense Department this week released the first photos and videos of F-16 fighter jets taking off from Turkey to launch airstrikes against Islamic militants in Syria.
The first strikes were carried out Wednesday by the Lockheed Martin Corp.-made Fighting Falcons -- a workhorse of the U.S. fighter fleet -- from the Incirlik air base in southern part of the country, according to a report from the Associated Press. The pictures were released shortly thereafter.
The Pentagon didn't specify the number or types of targets struck or how many of the six F-16s now at Incirlik were used in the initial strike, but from the photograph below, it's clear at least four aircraft were involved.
The U.S. had already been flying armed drones from Incirlik. After the Turkish government last month agreed to base the fighters there, the U.S. added the F-16s from the 31st Fighter Wing, based at Aviano, Italy, in part to have better proximity to Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, targets in Syria.
Here's video of the F-16s taking off from Incirlik:
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