Operation Inherent Resolve:Progress in Battle of Beiji;Major Air Strikes

On Friday 22 May,the Pentagon announced in a press release that Iraqi security forces and federal police,enabled by the Operation Inherent Resolve Coalition,have successfully cleared and established a ground route into the Beiji oil refinery.For several months,control of the refinery has been contested by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant militants and Iraqi security forces.Ground forces,supported by coalition air strikes and reconnaissance,advise and assist elements,have cleared through the area,established route security and reclaimed key terrain.
Brigadier General Thomas Weidly,US Marine Corps,chief of staff of Combined Joint Task Force OIR,stated that,in the past 72 hours,we have seen the Iraqi security forces make steady,measured progress in regaining some of the area leading to the Beiji oil refinery despite the significant ISIL resistance in the form of IEDs,suicide vehicle borne IEDs,as well as heavy weapon and rocket fire attacks.In spite of the isolated nature of where the Iraqi security forces have been operating and the constant threat from ISIL,creating a safe route to the refinery will allow supplies and reinforcements to arrive.This will assist security forces in clearing and securing contested areas in and around the refinery.
ISIL has increased the intensity of its assault on the refinery and adjacent areas since they were pushed out of Tikrit,the Pentagon said.*
In the OIR air campaign between 8 am 24 May and 8 am 25 May,a major series of air strikes on ISIL targets in Syria took place near Hasakah.A total of 7 sorties destroyed 4 fighting positions,a checkpoint,an excavator,a vehicle borne IED and a vehicle.No civilian casualties were reported in the raid,which took place in an area where Kurdish forces had reported that a vehicle borne IED had resulted in an undetermined number of civilian injuries.
Near Raqqah,2 sorties destroyed an excavator and a tank.
Near Dayr Az Zawr,a sortie destroyed a multiple rocket launcher vehicle.*
In Iraq over the same time period,there was a heavy series of 25 air strikes on ISIL targets approved by the Iraqi Ministry of Defense.
Near Baghdadi,5 sorties destroyed 4 structures,2 fighting positions,an armoured excavator,a heavy machine gun and a vehicle borne IED.
Near Beiji,3 sorties destroyed a dump truck,an armoured excavator and a tanker.
Near Fallujah,a sortie destroyed an anti-aircraft artillery piece and a fighting position.
Near Hit,a sortie struck a vehicle borne IED facility.
Near Mosul,a major series of strikes consisting of 9 sorties destroyed 4 heavy machine guns,3 buildings,an armoured vehicle,an excavator and a vehicle borne IED.
Particpants in Syria include the US,Bahrain,Canada,Jordan,Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Participants in Iraq include the US,Australia,Belgium,Canada,Denmark,France,Jordan,the Netherlands and the UK.

The War On ISIL:Progress Amid Concern

A status report on the war on the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant was presented to journalists by Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren,US Army,on Monday 20 April.Ramadi,capital of Anbar Province,Iraq remains highly contested-it's a tough fight there right now.We're hopeful that coalition air power along with the resolve of the Iraqi ground forces will be able to hold.In Beiji,Iraqi troops successfully linked up with forces on the ground in the oil refinery and have thus far been able to secure the refinery.We are dedicating some air power to the fight and it remains a contested situation.
In Afghanistan,we don't necessarily believe that conditions are such that ISIL would be welcome.We don't see the rebranding of disaffected Taliban and other militants to ISIL as a cause of increased violence in Afghanistan yet,but it is certainly something that we're going to continue to watch.
In Libya,the Department is beginning to see more than a rebranding effort.I think Libya is probably where ISIL most wants to gain a foothold.At this point,they have gained at least a toehold in Libya based on an extraordinary amount of unrest and an almost completely deteriorated security situation.
Nearly every one of the press releases that we issue every day indicates damage to tactical units-that's fighters being killed.So I would submit to you that we've delivered punishing blows to ISIL over the past six months.We've started to see cracks in ISIL's ability to bring on new forces.ISIL is turning now to conscription,to forcing people into their armed forces,and in some cases to child soldiers.So the pressure that the combination of air and ground power we're applying to ISIL is having an effect,COL Warren concluded.*
The Pentagon says in a special report that since the kinetic engagement with the Islamist extremists began in August 2014,ISIL has lost about 25-30% of the territory it held in Iraq.*
In Syria,the Pentagon reports that attack,fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 10 airstrikes between 8 am local on 19 April and 8am on 20 April:
Near Hasakah,three airstrikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and a mortar position,destroying a fighting position.Near Kobani,seven airstrikes struck seven tactical units,destroying two vehicles,a fighting position,mortar tube and an ISIL anti-aircraft artillery piece.
The Royal Canadian Air Force has now joined the air campaign against ISIL targets in Syria,as well as Iraq.They fly the CF-18 Hornet,as well as mission support aircraft.