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War on ISIL:Air Campaign Update - plus a Canadian Forces sniper's world record kill

The air war against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant continued on 26 June 2017,according to Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve.The OIR coalition conducted 31 strikes consisting of 45 engagements,CJTFOIR said in a  press release.
In Syria,coalition forces conducted 27 strikes consisting of 39 engagements against ISIL targets,among them:
near Dawr Az Zawr,7 strikes engaged 2 ISIL tactical units and destroyed 3 vehicles;a tactical vehicle;2 bunkers;2 pumpjacks;a front-end loader;an IED factory;and an ISIL headquarters,while damaging 2 fighting positions;
near Raqqa,18 strikes engaged 15 ISIL tactical units and destroyed 13 fighting positions;2 vehicles;a VBIED;an IED factory and an ISIL headquarters,damaging 2 fighting positions.*
In Iraq,coalition forces conducted 4 strikes consisting of 6 engagements against ISIL targets,among them:
near Beiji,3 strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a tactical vehicle storage facility;a tactical vehicle;and an ISIL fuel tanker;
near Tikrit,a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit;
on 25 June,near Mosul,3 strikes began that engaged 2 ISIL tactical units and destroyed 14 fighting positions;5 weapons systems;3 medium machine guns;3 rocket-propelled grenade systems;2 mortar systems;a command-and-control node;and suppressed 5 mortar teams.These strikes closed within the past 24 hours,so were added to the 26 June report.*
The OIR strikes are conducted by fighter,attack,bomber,rotary-wing or remotely piloted aircraft;rocket-propelled artillery;and some ground-based artillery when fired on planned targets.No information on which countries participated in the strikes was provided.*
It is ironic that,with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau removing Canadian Forces from the OIR air campaign in an attempt to distance them from direct combat against ISIL,it was a Canadian Special Operations Forces member of Joint Task Force 2 who has just set the world record for a sniper kill by neutralising an ISIL militant from a distance of 3.54 kilometers,or about 2.2 miles.Congratulations to our loyal northern neighbours,who always find a way to assist,even joining the US Army so they could fight in the Vietnam War alongside Americans.
The sniper used a MacMillan TAC-50 .50 caliber weapon,which is the world's longest shoulder-fired firearm,and a 750-grain Hornady round.Experts point out that his spotter's skill in evaluating the atmospheric conditions all the way to the target was also critical to the success of the mission.
Mr.Trudeau insisted the sniper kill was both praiseworthy and consistent with Canada's advise and assist role in Iraq.Canadian Forces are expected to defend themselves and coalition partners during the course of their mission,he told reporters.

Operation Inherent Resolve:Pounding ISIL From the Air - plus NATO AWACS now involved

According to a news release from Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve,US and coalition forces continued to press their campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant on 1 November.Attack,bomber,fighter and remotely piloted aircraft,as well as rocket artillery,participated in the raids over Iraq,which are coordinated with and in support of the government of Iraq.Among the results reported were:
-Near Beiji,a strike destroyed an ISIL supply boat and a weapons cache.
-Near the ISIL stronghold Mosul,which has been encircled and is currently under ground assault by Iraqi Security Forces and their allies,three strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units,destroying four vehicles,a mortar system and a fighting position;damaging two other fighting positions;and suppressing three tactical units,two heavy machine guns and a mortar system.
-Near Sinjar,a strke destroyed an ISIL fighting position.*
Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the US,Australia,Belgium,Canada,Denmark,France,Jordan,the Netherlands,Saudi Arabia,Turkey,the UAE and the UK.The US and France are known to have been conducting artillery strikes.*
NATO E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft are now providing military intelligence in the form of surveillance and situational awareness to OIR.The fleet of 16 aircraft,based at NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen,Germany,are staffed by multinational crews drawn from NATO Allies.They may be forward-deployed to operating bases in Greece,Italy,Norway and Turkey.Staying in international airspace or over Turkey,their radars will monitor medium altitude targets in Iraq and Syria within 520 kilometers;and low flying targets within 400 kilometers.

War On ISIL:Air and Artillery Campaign Update

On 4 July 2016,attack,bomber,fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted strikes in Syria,among them:
near Abu Kamal,a strike destroyed 6 ISIL oil wellheads;
near Ayn Isa,a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle;
near Manbij,8 sorties struck ISIL tactical units and destroyed 8 fighting positions and a vehicle.*
In Iraq,fighter,attack and remotely piloted aircraft and rocket artillery conducted strikes coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government.Ground-based artillery fire or in counterfire support to manoeuvre roles is not classified as a strike.Strikes included:
near Beiji,a strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position and a trench;
near Mosul,a strike struck an ISIL bomb factory;
near Sinjar,a strike suppressed ISIL rocket fire;
near Qayyarah,3 strikes destroyed an ISIL excavator,aircraft hangar,2 vehicles,18 rocket rails,11 rockets,a boat and a checkpoint.*
All strikes were conducted by members of the anti-ISIL Operation Inherent Resolve coalition.

War On ISIL:Belgium Joins Syria Campaign;Battle for Fallujah Begins;Air Strike Details

On 13 May,Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel and Defence Minister Steven Vandeput announced that Belgium will begin conducting airstrikes in Syria.*
Belgium is an important member of the coalition,and this contribution comes at a key moment of the campaign,said US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter.Belgian aircraft played a key role in the air campaign over Iraq from October 2014-June 2015.As they return to Operation Inherent Resolve as part of a scheduled rotation with the Dutch military,Belgian F-16s now will operate with greater flexibility and coherence of effort as a result of the decision to conduct strikes in Syria as well,Mr.Carter explained.
As of 23 May,the new rotation had yet to begin.*
Meanwhile,Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the commencement of the effort to recapture Fallujah,which was lost to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant about two-and-a-half years ago.Fallujah is in Anbar Province and 50 km west of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.Tens of thousands of civilians are trapped in the city.Dozens of families have managed to flee,but ISIL is trying to prevent this.
The ISF have almost completely surrounded the city.Iraqi F-16s recently acquired from the US have been bombing the area to soften ISIL resistance along with OIR coalition aircraft.The US fought two major battles in Fallujah in 2004,suffering some of the heaviest casualties since the Vietnam War there.
Participating in Operation 15th of Shaban are 20,000 Iraqi troops:10,000 Iraqi Army soldiers,Federal Police and the Golden Division;plus 10,000 Popular Mobilisation Unit members,including 5,000 Sunni tribesmen from Anbar and 5,000 mostly Shia volunteers from around Iraq;the Iraqi Air Force and Iraqi Army Aviation,as well as the OIR aircraft.
IEDs,booby traps and mines are all expected to confront the ISF as they battle their way into the city,the recapture of which is seen by Iraq as the next logical step on the road to liberating the ISIL northern stronghold of Mosul after the liberation of the Anbar capital Ramadi in December 2015.*
Combined Joint Task Force OIR has announced the following results from airstrikes conducted by coalition aircraft yesterday,23 May:
In Syria,fighters and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 7 strikes,among them:
near the ISIL capital of Raqqah,4 strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a military garrison;
near Shadaddi,a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle and a fighting position.
In Iraq,attack,fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 12 strikes,among them:
near Fallujah,4 strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a light machine gun,a front end loader,a mortar system,3 vehicle-borne IED storage facilities,2 rocket positions and 3 mortar positions;
near Mosul,4 strikes destroyed 2 ISIL vehicles,a VBIED,a mortar system and a fighting position,and suppressed a mortar position.*
Those that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the US;Australia;Belgium;Canada;Denmark;France;Jordan;the Netherlands;and the UK.
Those that have conducted strikes in Syria include the US;Australia;Bahrain;Canada;France;Jordan;the Netherlands;Saudi Arabia;Turkey;the UAE;and the UK.

CENTCOM Update:The War On ISIL - plus Australia's first Syria strike

On Friday,11 September,US Central Command spokesman Colonel Patrick Ryder,US Air Force,gave a progress report on Operation Inherent Resolve to journalists via teleconference.The OIR coalition's support continues to enable indigenous forces by applying pressure on ISIL's key command and control areas;logistics nodes;staging areas;and lines of communication.A special focus has been the Beiji and Ramadi areas,COL Ryder said.For example,one recent airstrike targeted a key ISIL staging area and weapons depot just west of Ramadi in a soccer stadium.
The Beiji oil refinery is still being contested,with both ISIL and the Iraqi Security Forces bringing in reinforcements.From 2-9 September,13 coalition airstrikes took out a number of ISIL personnel there;nearly 100 vehicles;and several weapons and supply caches,according to COL Ryder.ISIL continues to put up a fight,but we assess they have lost several hundred fighters and continue to reinforce failure by sending in additional forces.*
Besides airstrikes,the OIR coalition Building Partner Capacity sites have trained around 13,000 ISF since the operation began,with 4,000 more troops currently in training.We have seen graduates of this program subsequently operate effectively in areas around Ramadi and other parts of Iraq,such as the Iraqi forces trained in large scale IED clearing who are reducing ISF and civilian casualties.
On another front,the advise and assist mission continues to enable ground forces in Iraq by helping with planning ground operations;intelligence sharing;integrating air support into operations;logistics planning;command and control;and communications.*
In Syria,the OIR coalition's train-and-equip programme continues training vetted Syrian opposition force recruits,with a fourth class recently having begun their training.It's important to keep in mind this programme is still in its early stages and the forces trained are expected to be additive in nature.This will further contribute to what's already being done by the Syrian Kurds,Arabs and other anti-ISIL forces.*
In the latest airstrikes in Syria,fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 4 sorties.Near Dayr Ar Zawr,2 sorties struck an ISIL crude oil collection point and destroyed an ISIL excavator.Near Kobani,a sortie destroyed an ISIL artillery piece.Near Mara,a sortie struck an ISIL tactical unit.*
In Iraq,attack;bomber;fighter;fighter attack;and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 14 airstrikes coordinated with the Iraqi government.Among them,near Beiji,4 sorties struck 1 large and 2 small ISIL tactical units and destroyed 6 ISIL buildings;3 ISIL vehicles;an ISIL anti-aircraft artillery piece;and an ISIL structure.
Near Ramadi,2 sorties destroyed 4 ISIL weapons caches;an ISIL armoured personnel carrier;and an ISIL vehicle-borne IED.Near Tuz,a sortie struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.*
The Iraq airstrikes were carried out by the US;Australia;Canada;Denmark;France;Jordan;the Netherlands;and the UK.
The Syria airstrikes were carried out by the US;Bahrain;Canada;Jordan;Saudi Arabia;new participant Turkey;and the UAE.
Update:On Tuesday,Australia revealed it had conducted its first airstrike in Syria on Monday 14 September.Two RAAF Hornets identified an ISIL armoured personnel carrier hidden in an ISIL compound,according to Defence Minister Kevin Andrews.One of the Hornets attacked the APC with a precision guided weapon,destroying it.
Last week,Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Australia was extending its OIR airstrikes from Iraq into Syria at the request of the US.Australia has been conducting Iraq airstrikes for about a year.

If Baghdad Falls-What Would Draw the US Further Into The War?

On 17 June 2015,the outgoing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,General Martin Dempsey,US Army,and Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter testified before the House Armed Services Committee about the War On ISIL,with frank discussion of what circumstances would possibly increase US involvement.GEN Dempsey outlined the context of the conflict with the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant by noting that:
1.Several governments in the region are struggling for political legitimacy.
2.There is a rivalry between Sunni and Shia Muslims.
3.There is rising competition between radical and moderate Islam.This will continually challenge the region's security forces.
We have an appropriate level of effort.This is an Iraq first strategy,but not an Iraq only one.We are at the beginning of a complex,non-linear campaign.We are constantly evaluating our approach and making sure we are resourcing it appropriately.
This has to be them winning.In our military campaign,we are on the path to delivering that which we are committed to providing:the ability to defeat ISIL on their sovereign territory.We're trying to build a network that will enable the region's players to confront this threat.
Why are we not targeting known ISIL assets?Leadership targets,fuel targets are authorised.We do strike those targets.The limitation is to try to avoid civilian casualties.Commander CENTCOM has the authority to select targets.Consider that 397 strike aircraft and 1650 pilots fly these missions every day.In my judgement,the avoidance of civilian casualties is not the limiting factor of our success against ISIL.
I think our strategy matches the complexity of what we're dealing with.The reality is,some of our Sunni partners are more worried about Iran's influence than they are about ISIL.We're reaching out to Sunnis at the request of Iraqi Prime Minister Abadi.
We've got almost 50% of intelligence,search and rescue unmanned assigned to Iraq/Syria.We of course are looking at points discrete where we might be providing additional resources to the Iraqi Security Forces where it would be strategically significant.Potentially,for example,an assault on Mosul,but I would be hesitant to make that permanent because we want them to do it independently.
If Iraq fails,added Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter,we will still try to enable local ground forces if they are willing to partner with us,but there wouldn't be a unified state.If Baghdad falls-I don't see that particular scenario as very likely,because Prime Minister Abadi has surrounded Baghdad with what remains,and the fact that they are Shia will make them fight fiercely.
What would make us more kinetic?asked GEN Dempsey:
1.A credible threat to the homeland.
2.A credible threat to our forces.
For example,I believe another 9-11 probably would draw us in.
Could we go in there and do a better job against ISIL?Absolutely,but we'd be back there two years from now.I would not recommend that we put US forces in harm's way simply to stiffen the spine of Iraqi Security Forces.If the threat from ISIL doesn't stiffen them,we won't,either.If the ISF go on the offensive with a strategic target,I would certainly go to the Secretary of Defense and have that conversation of how to increase their effectiveness,but not just to stiffen their spines,GEN Dempsey told the House Armed Services Committee.