The specially designed missiles use sharp blades and blunt force, rather than explosive warheads, to kill terrorist leaders.
The men were half of a cell of Britons who held Westerners hostage in Syria, some of whom were beheaded for propaganda videos.
The deployment of armored vehicles, advance radar and more fighter jets comes in response to a Russian convoy ramming an U.S. ground patrol, injuring seven soldiers.
An American military official said the warplanes were conducting combat missions in support of Kremlin-backed private security forces, and extending Moscow’s influence in Africa.
The long-planned trims, which would cut the number nearly in half, maintain a U.S. counterterrorism force in Iraq but help fulfill President Trump’s goal to reduce overseas deployments.
The country’s interior minister said Mahmut Ozden, described as a top Islamic State figure in Turkey, had been planning attacks and kidnappings.