Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Tuesday, May 24, 2016
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.
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.
Thursday, May 19, 2016
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Major NATO Exercise Underway in Republic of Georgia
About 1300 NATO and Republic of Georgia troops are currently executing Exercise Noble Partner 16 at Vaziani Training Area,Georgia.It is the largest exercise in the history of NATO Partner Georgia,which aspires to NATO membership.Having begun on 11 May,the two weeks of drills involve qualifying a Georgia light infantry company from 4th Armoured Brigade for the NATO Response Force,as well as enhancing Georgia's self-defence capability.The Brigade will operate T-72 Main Battle Tanks;BMP-2 Infantry Combat Vehicles;and several wheeled-support vehicles,US Army Europe said.
One of the overarching goals of the NRF is to ensure the ability of a rapid military force to respond quickly wherever needed whenever a security crisis emerges,according to Nicholas Berliner,US Embassy Georgia Deputy Chief of Mission.The NRF is a highly ready and technologically advanced multinational force that can include NATO Partners such as Georgia in addition to Allies,with both land,air,maritime and Special Operations Forces components.*
In addition to the Georgian contingent of around 500 troops,the US Army is contributing about 650 troops from the 173rd Airborne Brigade,as well as 3rd Infantry Division,the Georgia State Army National Guard and Air National Guard 165 Airlift Wing with 3 C-130 Hercules aircraft;while The UK has sent some 150 soldiers from 3rd Battalion The Rifles.
3 Rifles are a fully operational Light Role Infantry Battalion available for deployment worldwide from Dreghan Barracks in Edinburgh,Scotland.They are currently the spearhead Battalion of 12 Mechanised Brigade,tasked to deploy at short notice to trouble spots around the world such as Lebanon,the British Army said.*
The US infantry is operating their M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tanks;Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles;M119 Light Towed Howitzers;and several wheeled-support vehicles during Noble Partner 16.The exercise will include situational training;field training;and a final live-fire drill.*
We will accomplish a lot and we are looking forward to truly demonstrating interoperability between our forces,and we are looking forward to continuing to improve the readiness of our organisations,according to Colonel Jeff Dickerson,US Army,Deputy Exercise Director.*
One of the overarching goals of the NRF is to ensure the ability of a rapid military force to respond quickly wherever needed whenever a security crisis emerges,according to Nicholas Berliner,US Embassy Georgia Deputy Chief of Mission.The NRF is a highly ready and technologically advanced multinational force that can include NATO Partners such as Georgia in addition to Allies,with both land,air,maritime and Special Operations Forces components.*
In addition to the Georgian contingent of around 500 troops,the US Army is contributing about 650 troops from the 173rd Airborne Brigade,as well as 3rd Infantry Division,the Georgia State Army National Guard and Air National Guard 165 Airlift Wing with 3 C-130 Hercules aircraft;while The UK has sent some 150 soldiers from 3rd Battalion The Rifles.
3 Rifles are a fully operational Light Role Infantry Battalion available for deployment worldwide from Dreghan Barracks in Edinburgh,Scotland.They are currently the spearhead Battalion of 12 Mechanised Brigade,tasked to deploy at short notice to trouble spots around the world such as Lebanon,the British Army said.*
The US infantry is operating their M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tanks;Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles;M119 Light Towed Howitzers;and several wheeled-support vehicles during Noble Partner 16.The exercise will include situational training;field training;and a final live-fire drill.*
We will accomplish a lot and we are looking forward to truly demonstrating interoperability between our forces,and we are looking forward to continuing to improve the readiness of our organisations,according to Colonel Jeff Dickerson,US Army,Deputy Exercise Director.*
Monday, May 16, 2016
Thursday, May 12, 2016
Hostage Rescue by US,Afghan Special Operations Forces Draws Praise From Carter - Operation Freedom's Sentinel Success
Hostage Rescue in Afghanistan Draws Praise From Carter: Defense Secretary Ash Carter commended U.S. and Afghan special operations personnel for the professionalism and skill they demonstrated in a hostage rescue mission in Afghanistan’s Paktika province.
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Nature Note:Leading Grizzly Bear Biologist Retires
The man who has been responsible for supervising the effort that has brought the grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis),a North American subspecies of the brown bear (Ursus arctos),back from the brink of extinction in the lower 48 states to the point of being considered for delisting from Endangered Species Act protection,Dr.Christopher Servheen,65,has retired from his US Fish & Wildlife Service position.Known as "Dr.Bear" and working from his office at the University of Montana,Chris Servheen was Grizzly Bear Recovery Coordinator from 1981 to the present.Today,he says,the Greater Yellowstone and Northern Continental Divide Ecosystems' grizzly populations have recovered.The total number of grizzlies in the lower 48 is about 2,000.*
We've come a long way,Dr.Servheen told Monatana Public Radio.We have three times as many bears today as when I started,and they occupy more than twice the range that they lived in when I started.It's been healthy for some time in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem -a complex of lands including Yellowstone National Park and National Forests-where there were as few as 176 in 1975,to over 700 today;and where grizzly bears today occupy more habitat than Vermont,New Hampshire and Rhode Island combined.
I've put in my 35 years and I've done my best,Dr.Servheen said.In the course of his long career,the PhD in wildlife biology has been praised by some and excoriated by others;but now he has his eyes set on fishing and hiking the backcountry of the Bob Marshall and Scapegoat Wilderness Areas to view bears with his two sons.*
Dr.Servheen's associate at USFWS,Ed Casworm,will serve as Acting Coordinator until a permanent replacement is found.
We've come a long way,Dr.Servheen told Monatana Public Radio.We have three times as many bears today as when I started,and they occupy more than twice the range that they lived in when I started.It's been healthy for some time in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem -a complex of lands including Yellowstone National Park and National Forests-where there were as few as 176 in 1975,to over 700 today;and where grizzly bears today occupy more habitat than Vermont,New Hampshire and Rhode Island combined.
I've put in my 35 years and I've done my best,Dr.Servheen said.In the course of his long career,the PhD in wildlife biology has been praised by some and excoriated by others;but now he has his eyes set on fishing and hiking the backcountry of the Bob Marshall and Scapegoat Wilderness Areas to view bears with his two sons.*
Dr.Servheen's associate at USFWS,Ed Casworm,will serve as Acting Coordinator until a permanent replacement is found.
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
War On ISIL:Navy SEAL Killed in Action - how the US responded to the assault
At 9:30 am local time,ISIL militants,having broken through Kurdish Peshmerga front lines near the town of Tel Asqof in Northern Iraq with bulldozers and suicide bombs,including vehicle-borne IEDs,killed a US Navy SEAL with direct small arms fire 3-5 km behind the front lines.He's been identified as Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Charles Keating IV,31,of Phoenix,Arizona,grandson of the late banker Charles H. Keating,Jr.,who was imprisoned for five years for financial crimes committed in the 1980s.SWO Keating,based at Coronado,California,was there advising and assisting the Peshmerga,who are regarded as among the most effective fighting forces in the anti-ISIL Operation Inherent Resolve.*
The militants had overrun Asqof at dawn in a rare,if temporary,loss by the Kurds.SWO Keating,engaged to be married,was killed in a firefight that erupted in the course of the extended battle that followed.US F-15Cs and drones came to the Kurds' assistance,dropping at least 20 bombs and helping to drive ISIL back out of Tel Asqof.It was the third US combat death in OIR.Besides SWO Keating,according to the Kurdistan Region Security Council,more than 80 militants and at least 10 Kurds died in the Battle of Tel Asqof,which is about 28 km/17 miles from the ISIL stronghold of Mosul.Christian militiamen also assisted the Kurds.*
The US is in the process of moving Special Operations Forces closer to the front lines in Northern Iraq,and bringing in more troops and Apache helicopters as OIR ground forces begin encircling Mosul,having driven ISIL out of Ramadi,Anbar Province in December 2015,and then expelling them from the Hit region,also in Anbar Province,driving the Islamist extremists up the Euphrates River Valley.
The militants had overrun Asqof at dawn in a rare,if temporary,loss by the Kurds.SWO Keating,engaged to be married,was killed in a firefight that erupted in the course of the extended battle that followed.US F-15Cs and drones came to the Kurds' assistance,dropping at least 20 bombs and helping to drive ISIL back out of Tel Asqof.It was the third US combat death in OIR.Besides SWO Keating,according to the Kurdistan Region Security Council,more than 80 militants and at least 10 Kurds died in the Battle of Tel Asqof,which is about 28 km/17 miles from the ISIL stronghold of Mosul.Christian militiamen also assisted the Kurds.*
The US is in the process of moving Special Operations Forces closer to the front lines in Northern Iraq,and bringing in more troops and Apache helicopters as OIR ground forces begin encircling Mosul,having driven ISIL out of Ramadi,Anbar Province in December 2015,and then expelling them from the Hit region,also in Anbar Province,driving the Islamist extremists up the Euphrates River Valley.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)