The U.S Air Force sent a loud and clear message to the remnants of the Islamic State terrorist organization on Tuesday when aircraft dropped 40 tons of laser-guided bombs on an Iraqi island known as a remaining stronghold of the moribund former caliphate.

The dramatic airstrike took place a day before the 18th anniversary of 9/11, sending a message of the nation’s resiliency to any and all terrorists who would seek to repeat such a tragedy on American soil. The commander of Operation Inherent Resolve tweeted video of what seemed like dozens of bomb blasts going off, covering the target in devastation.

VIDEO: Here’s what it looks like when @USAFCENT #F15 and #F35 jets drop 36,000 Kg of bombs on a Daesh infested island. 🛩💥 هكذا تبدوا الجزيرة الموبوءة بداعش بعد أن أسقطت عليها الطائرات المقاتلة #أف-15 و #أف-35 36,000 كغم من الذخيرة pic.twitter.com/2v6FAEL9Rn

— OIR Spokesman Col. Myles B. Caggins III (@OIRSpox) September 10, 2019

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The strike targeted Qanus Island, situated on the Tigris River in Northern Iraq. Qanus has been used by ISIS fighters as a stopping point during travel from Syria to Iraq.

F-15 and F-35 fighter jets dropped laser-guided munitions on the target.

American military personnel are currently operating as advisors to the Iraqi military to assist in keeping the remnants of the ISIS caliphate down, as invited guests of the unstable Middle Eastern nation. After the airstrike, Iraqi troops were deployed to Qanus in order to deny any further use of the island to the jihadists, and captured additional film of the airstrike’s effects.

After heavy conflict with the Kurdish Peshmerga, Syrian and Iraqi governments, and the American and Russian militaries, ISIS has become a mere shadow of its former shelf. The former grand caliphate has lost the ability to hold onto any substantial territories, although it still possess a small army of insurgents capable of waging guerrilla warfare.

President Trump has sought to bring American troops home, although there’s a case to be made that airstrike operations in support of Iraqi troops fighting ISIS avoid placing America in unnecessary foreign entanglements. If anything, the devastating strike against ISIS militants on Qanus Island reveals the powerful and unmatched capabilities of the U.S military, and the need for caution in its use.

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