US steps up air attacks ahead of Iraq withdrawal

'WASHINGTON: US forces are dramatically stepping up air attacks on insurgents in Iraq as they prepare to start the withdrawal of ground troops.

The number of air strikes last year, running at a monthly average of 25 until August, surged to 120 in November and an expected 150 in December, The Sunday Times reported yesterday.

The tempo looks set to increase this year as the Americans pull back from urban combat, leaving street fighting increasingly to Iraqi forces supported by US air power, the paper said."
The Australian