An hour ago, Kuwait, Ali Salim Air Force Base.
The runway lights and the work lights in the hangar area were on, casting huge aircraft shadows on the hardened ground.
On the tarmac, the killing machines were ready.
The scale of today's strike formation exceeded the configuration of a regular tactical mission, reflecting the importance of the target and the level of threat assessment.
In the briefing room, the mission commander pointed with a laser pointer at the dense markings on the satellite map southeast of Mosul:
