Even as the Iraqi Security Forces near perhaps the greatest victory in their history by having liberated all but a pocket of the longtime Islamist extremist stronghold of Mosul,a young US Army officer was killed in action on 29 April 2017 by an Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant IED as he helped secure the outskirts of the city.He was identified by the Pentagon as 1st Lieutenant Weston C. Lee,25,of Bluffton,Georgia.1ST LT Lee was on a patrol in support of Operation Inherent Resolve,providing security as part of advise and assist to partnered forces,when the IED exploded.ISIL militants have heavily mined and booby-trapped all the areas of and around Mosul they withdrew from,making the city and surrounding area extremely hazardous.*
1ST LT Lee was a member of the 1st Battalion,325th Infantry Regiment,2nd Brigade Combat Team,82nd Airborne Division,out of Fort Bragg,North Carolina.An ROTC graduate of the University of North Georgia,he had enlisted in the Army in 2015 and excelled in pistol marksmanship as an ROTC cadet.Commissioned a 2nd lieutenant in December 2014,1ST LT Lee earned his Ranger tab prior to his Parachutist badge.Among his other decorations were the National Defense Service Medal,Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Army Service Ribbon.The paratrooper was on his first tour in Iraq,having deployed there in December 2016,and posthumously received the Bronze Star Medal,Purple Heart and Meritorious Service Medal.*
At this point,the ISF have wiped out most of the 6,000 ISIL fighters that had been holding Mosul.Only 200-300 remain,and they are surrounded in the city's northwest,dug in among about 400,000 civilians running short on food,water and medicine in the historic Old City area.Mostly the US-trained Counter Terrorism Service and Federal Police are fighting inside Mosul;while the Iraqi Army regulars,Shiite volunteers and Kurdish Peshmerga control the perimeter.A total of about 100,000 ground troops supported by OIR coalition airpower and artillery have been battling ISIL in the Battle of Mosul since October 2016,which is expected to be concluded in a maximum of three weeks' time.
Showing posts with label Battle of Mosul. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Battle of Mosul. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 2, 2017
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Apache Gunships Brought Into Battle of Mosul - actually had been used earlier
Small numbers of US Army Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopters have been used in the effort to drive Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant militants from their northern stronghold of Mosul,Iraq.Fewer than 10 Apaches have been used in the operations,officials told Agence France Presse.*
I can confirm that Apaches have been used with significant effect,said Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook.My understanding is,there's been particular targets that have included VBIEDs and specific obstacles and impediments that we've seen ISIL put forward in Mosul.The Apaches have demonstrated a capability with very precise targeting to make a difference there,again,operating in a standoff position.They're able to do that from some distance back.*
The helicopter gunships also undertook night operations against ISIL in the early stages of the Battle of Mosul in October.Even before then,the Apaches had seen action in the Tigris River Valley back in June.The vulnerability of Apaches to fires from the enemy on the ground,however,given their typically slow speed and low altitude operational profile,has limited their usage in the anti-ISIL Operation Inherent Resolve to these small-scale standoff attacks.As well,the Iraqi government is reluctant to allow any more direct US involvement in the battle than is absolutely necessary.*
Boeing (BA)
I can confirm that Apaches have been used with significant effect,said Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook.My understanding is,there's been particular targets that have included VBIEDs and specific obstacles and impediments that we've seen ISIL put forward in Mosul.The Apaches have demonstrated a capability with very precise targeting to make a difference there,again,operating in a standoff position.They're able to do that from some distance back.*
The helicopter gunships also undertook night operations against ISIL in the early stages of the Battle of Mosul in October.Even before then,the Apaches had seen action in the Tigris River Valley back in June.The vulnerability of Apaches to fires from the enemy on the ground,however,given their typically slow speed and low altitude operational profile,has limited their usage in the anti-ISIL Operation Inherent Resolve to these small-scale standoff attacks.As well,the Iraqi government is reluctant to allow any more direct US involvement in the battle than is absolutely necessary.*
Boeing (BA)
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
War On ISIL:Battle of Mosul Imminent in Northern Iraq
According to the UK Defence Minister Michael Fallon,military cooperation agreements on the Battle of Mosul,Iraq were finalised on 23 September 2016;encirclement operations will begin in the next few weeks;and Mosul,the largest ISIL bastion in Iraq,will be liberated from ISIL in the next few months.*
Special Operations Forces from undisclosed Operation Inherent Resolve coalition countries are already conducting covert operations behind enemy lines.*
Logistics hub for the massive campaign is Qayyarah Air Base about 40 miles/60 km of Mosul.It was recaptured from ISIL in July.It's been reconfigured to handle military transport planes,providing a direct supply line to the OIR coalition members in the Mosul area,instead of having to truck supplies 185 miles up from Baghdad.
The US and French Armies have emplaced artillery systems on the base.Their mobile howitzers can range out half the distance to Mosul;while their artillery rockets can strike the city itself from Qayyarah in less than 20 seconds with high accuracy.*
About 22,000 Iraqi Security Forces,including Army and Special Operations Forces and backed by thousands more Kurdish Peshmerga,paramilitary or tribal militias,are poised to execute the battle plan with coalition close air support against the approximately 3,000-4500 ISIL militants that remain within Mosul along with 500,000-700,000 civilians.They have fortified the city with untold miles of trenches,each three meters deep by 2 meters wide.Some of the trenches have been filled with oil.*
Qayarrah Air Base is closed to the media.As the battle progresses,a new air base will be established next to Mosul to support combat operations even more readily.
Special Operations Forces from undisclosed Operation Inherent Resolve coalition countries are already conducting covert operations behind enemy lines.*
Logistics hub for the massive campaign is Qayyarah Air Base about 40 miles/60 km of Mosul.It was recaptured from ISIL in July.It's been reconfigured to handle military transport planes,providing a direct supply line to the OIR coalition members in the Mosul area,instead of having to truck supplies 185 miles up from Baghdad.
The US and French Armies have emplaced artillery systems on the base.Their mobile howitzers can range out half the distance to Mosul;while their artillery rockets can strike the city itself from Qayyarah in less than 20 seconds with high accuracy.*
About 22,000 Iraqi Security Forces,including Army and Special Operations Forces and backed by thousands more Kurdish Peshmerga,paramilitary or tribal militias,are poised to execute the battle plan with coalition close air support against the approximately 3,000-4500 ISIL militants that remain within Mosul along with 500,000-700,000 civilians.They have fortified the city with untold miles of trenches,each three meters deep by 2 meters wide.Some of the trenches have been filled with oil.*
Qayarrah Air Base is closed to the media.As the battle progresses,a new air base will be established next to Mosul to support combat operations even more readily.
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