Operation Inherent Resolve:US Combat Operations in Syria Resume

Following a sequestration of troops for force protection during the Iran crisis,US service members are once again conducting combat operations against Islamic State remnants in Syria alongside their longtime Syrian Kurd allies in the Syrian Democratic Forces.According to US CENTCOM commander GEN Kenneth "Frank" McKenzie,Jr.,US Marine Corps,who spoke to journalists from the Associated Press and The Washington Post while touring five US bases in the Eastern Security Zone,the two close members of Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve are now conducting up to 3-4 operations a week.The US outposts GEN McKenzie visited house a total of around 750 US troops and are scattered across a swath of ESZ territory running from Deir-el-Zour in the Northeast to the Euphrates River Valley and the Iraqi border east of al-Hassakeh.The names and exact locations of many of the bases are classified.
GEN McKenzie told the journalists:
I frankly don't know how long we're going to be here.And I have no instructions other than to continue to work with our partners here.Now we're firmly focused on the lasting defeat of ISIS (another name for Islamic State).*
Accompanying GEN McKenzie was MG Eric Hill,US Air Force,commander of Special Operations Forces in Iraq and Syria.He said his troops are training and conducting operations with the Syrian Democratic Forces to shut down IS,who are hiding in valleys,caves and deserts,where they attempt to regroup following their defeat at the hands of CJTF-OIR in their former capital of Raqqa,Syria.*
Another 5,000 US troops are across the border in Iraq on a train,advise and assist mission with the Iraqi Security Forces,who are engaged in their own battle with IS remnants in Iraq.Many of the IS militants are located in Anbar Province in Western Iraq.
NATO also has a training mission underway in Iraq.*

First Combat:Air Force F-35As Support Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service

On 30 April 2019,two US Air Force F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters struck a Daesh tunnel network (Daesh is another word for Islamic State) at Wadi Ashai,which is deep within Iraq's Hamrin Mountains,US CENTCOM said in a news release.The aircraft,on the first ever combat sortie for the Air Force version of the F-35,were refueled by a USAF KC-10 Extender tanker,having been launched from al-Dhafra Air Base in the UAE.Reaching the target,they released a Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) to hit the entrenched tunnel network and a weapons cache,which were in a position to attack Global Coalition forces.The mission was in support of Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve,the 74 nation effort to neutralise Daesh and its ideology.*
LTC Yosef Morris,commander,4th Fighter Wing and himself an F-35 pilot,described the fifth generation fighter's capabilities:
We have the ability to gather,fuse and pass so much information,that we make every friendly aircraft more survivable and lethal.That,combined with low-observable technology,allows us to really complement any combined force package be ready to support AOR contingencies.The F-35A has sensors everywhere.It has advanced radar,and it is gathering and fusing all this information from the battlespace in real time.Now it has the ability to take that information and share it with other F-35s or even fourth generation aircraft in the same package that can also see the integrated picture.*
The aircraft were specifically supporting an Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) attack on Daesh sleeper cells and their support base.Daesh is believed to be moving materiel and people into the area in a drive to support a resurgence of operations following their total loss of urban strongholds in Iraq and Syria.In preparation for CTS clearance operations,CJTF-OIR destroyed several tunnel systems;buildings;caves;and command and control positions.The strikes and clearance operations also removed many Daesh fighters from the battlefield,US CENTCOM said.*
In its strike summary for 21 April-4 May 2019,CJTF-OIR said it conducted 10 strikes-all in Iraq-consisting of 40 engagements,engaging four Daesh tactical units,and destroying three tunnels;two buildings;two weapons caches;two supply routes;and one cargo container.The summary contains all strikes conducted by fighter,attack,bomber,rotary-wing,remotely piloted aircraft,rocket propelled artillery and ground-based tactical artillery.*
The versatile McDonnell Douglas (Boeing) KC-10 Extender can also carry 75 passengers and 170,000 pounds of cargo while on refueling missions.*
Boeing (BA)

Operation Inherent Resolve:Combat Against Islamic State Continues in Both Syria and Iraq

Many members of the public may believe the war against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant is over;but that is far from the case,recent press releases from Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve make plain.For example,on 24 October 2018,US Army Soldiers fired an M777 A2 howitzer from Firebase Saham,Iraq.They were acting in support of Operation Roundup,a military offensive to eliminate ISIL from the Middle Euphrates River Valley and the Syria-Iraq border region.
The Soldiers at Firebase Saham are members of Bravo Battery,Field Artillery Squadron,3rd Cavalry Regiment.It is a physically demanding team effort to load and fire the howitzers.Providing indirect fires along with French artillery in Iraq,the US troops are part of the overall Coalition effort against Islamic State,Operation Inherent Resolve,which also includes training missions and air strikes in support of Iraqi Security Forces on the ground in Iraq and Syrian Democratic Forces in neighbouring Syria.*
NATO has begun a training mission in Iraq as well.*
ISIL is reportedly going underground and operating at night,while trying to blend with the civilian population during the day.The Islamist extremist militants have a remarkable ability to transform and regenerate themselves.*
More recently,on 30 October,ISF and Iraqi Counter Terrorism Services,with Coalition support,conducted multiple strikes against Daesh (an Arab word for ISIL) on Khanukah Mountain in Salah ad Din Province,Iraq.Killed in the raids were five senior Daesh leaders and over 30 other Daesh militants.The leaders had oversight responsibility for Daesh operations in Salah ad Din,Kirkuk,Nineveh and Northern Anbar Provinces.The other militants helped coordinate VBIED attacks in Sharqat and Qayarrah that injured civilians;as well as several attacks against ISF,Iraqi civilians and infrastructure in Salah ad Din and Kirkuk Provinces.

Operation Inherent Resolve:Euphrates River Valley

By 8 May 2018,the Syrian Democratic Forces,assisted by Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve,had resumed their offensive operations to clear the final Daesh territories in Eastern Syria,according to MGEN Felix Gedney,British Army,Deputy Commander of CJTF-OIR.This manifested as SDF moving to secure the Syrian-Iraqi border by eliminating Daesh resistance and establishing defensive posts in coordination with the Iraqi Security Forces,who are operating on the other side of the border.*
Daesh is the Arabic word for the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.*
At the same time,from 4-10 May,CJTF-OIR conducted 53 strikes consisting of 63 engagements against Daesh.For example,in Syria:
On 10 May,a strike destroyed an ISIL artillery piece near Dayr Az Zawr;
on 9 May,near Shadaddi,a strike destroyed an ISIL VBIED factory;and,near Dayz Az Zawr,a strike destroyed an ISIL IED belt.
In Iraq:
On 7 May,near Kisik,coalition military forces conducted a strike destroying 3 ISIL tunnels and a weapons cache;
On 5 May,near Mosul,two strikes destroyed 7 ISIL tunnel systems;near Makhmur,a strike destroyed an ISIL cave.*
Strikes are conducted by fighter,attack,bomber,rotary-wing or remotely piloted aircraft;rocket-propelled artillery;and ground-based artillery.*
As of now,ground operations by the SDF,coupled with intelligence,surveillance and fire support provided by CJTF-OIR,are having a devastating effect as SDF continues to liberate lands held by Daesh terrorists.Fighter jets from France are providing precision fires to crush the last of Daesh's fake caliphate.As we have proven many,many times over the course of this campaign,CJTF-OIR will relentlessly pursue ISIS (another name for ISIL) wherever they are,until we have destroyed all of ISIS' geographic holdings,MGEN Gedney tweeted.

Iraq Update:Fallen Soldiers Identified - Iraq Campaign continues

The Pentagon has released the names of the two US troops who died in Northern Iraq on 13 August 2017 while supporting Operation Inherent Resolve.Both were with the 2nd Battalion,319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment,2nd Brigade Combat Team,82nd Airborne Division out of Fort Hood,Texas:
Sergeant Roshain Euvince Brooks,30,of Brooklyn,New York and Sergeant Allen Levi Stigler Jr. of Arlington,Texas.
SGT Brooks joined the Army in July 2012.He was deployed to Afghanistan from June-November 2014.
SGT Stigler joined the Army in November 2013.He was on his first deployment.*
According to Pentagon spokesman Colonel Rob Manning,US Army,an Army artillery section was conducting a counterfire mission against an Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant mortar site at the time of the incident.An investigation is ongoing.
To the west of Mosul,the 9th and 15th Iraqi Army Divisions maintain defensive positions on the west forward line of troops near Tal Afar,and the coalition continues to support the Iraqis as they reset and prepare for follow-on operations in the Western Nineveh Province,COL Manning added.*
The Iraqi Security Forces said the Soldiers died when a shell exploded in a cannon they were inspecting.

As Battle of Mosul Ebbs,US Army Officer Killed in Iraq

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.

Mosul Liberation Strategy is Three-Pronged Offensive,CENTCOM Says

According to the latest US Central Command news release dated 29 December 2016,the Iraqi Security Forces have launched a simultaneous three-pronged attack on the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant's northern stronghold of Mosul,Iraq's second largest city,with a population of 664,221 as of 2015.The offensive is backed by the anti-ISIL Operation Inherent Resolve coalition air and artillery strikes.*
On the North Axis,units of the Iraqi Army 16th Division advanced south to claim more neighbourhoods.
On the East Axis,Counter Terrorism Service units pushed west and south along two fronts.
On the South Axis,federal police units began clearing neighbourhoods to the north.
The advance opens up two new fronts within the city,Iraqi officials said,hindering ISIL's ability to generate forces;move fighters;or resupply.*
Since the Mosul campaign began on 17 October 2016,the OIR coalition has struck the Islamist extremists with more than 7650 munitions.It restruck two Mosul bridges on 27 December and disabled the last bridge crossing the Tigris River in Mosul on 26 December.Such strikes crimp enemy freedom of movement and further disrupt ISIL's ability to reinforce,resupply and use VBIEDs in Eastern Mosul.
Besides air and artillery strikes,OIR provides Iraqi units with operational advice and assistance,as well as intelligence and logistics support at the request of the ISF.US Army Lieutenant General Sean McFarland is commander of OIR.

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.

More US Troops to Iraq as Mosul Recapture Mission Looms - major air base recovered,ops center set up

US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter made a secret trip to Baghdad and,while there,met with his Iraqi counterpart,Khalid al-Obaidi about the mission to retake Mosul from Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant control.The Islamist extremists seized Mosul in 2014 when they took much of the rest of Iraq from government hands as well.Since then,however,these militants have experienced blowback as the Iraqi Security Forces,backed by anti-ISIL coalition Operation Inherent Resolve airpower,artillery,advice and training have wrested back Tikrit,Ramadi and,most recently,Fallujah,from their hands and furthered the process of surrounding Mosul.Mosul is ISIL's sole remaining major stronghold in Iraq and their biggest holding in Iraq and Syria.*
Now,however,OIR is focused intently on recovering Mosul as a crucial step in delivering a lasting defeat to ISIL.Along those lines,the US is sending an additional 560 troops to Iraq for a total of about 4650 engaged in the OIR mission.The new soldiers will be based at the sprawling Qayyarah Air Base,which the ISF,backed by US airpower,recaptured from ISIL on Saturday.Among the troops will be logisticians,engineers,security and communications forces.The troops have received warning orders to deploy and will arrive in country relatively soon,said Lieutenant General Sean McFarland,US Army,commander of OIR forces in Iraq and Syria,who requested the new personnel from the President.Even more such requests could be on the way,a US military official indicated.*
With its two runways for easier movement,Qayyarah will be a key staging area for the recapture of Mosul,and the US forces there will be able to help the ISF complete the southern-most envelopment of Mosul;Kurdish forces are already dug in on the east,north and west of the city.Many of the US troops will be assigned to rehabilitate the base that has been scarred by years of war.The logisticians will help the Iraqis deal with the large formations of ISF that will be transiting through the air base;other US troops will be available to advise and assist the ISF,accompanying them to the battalion level,which is closer to the front lines than the Americans have gone before.Some US forces may help develop the air intelligence stream as the refurbished air base brings US and Iraqi aircraft strategically closer to Mosul than previously.*
Besides Qayyarah Air Base itself,a new Nineveh Liberation Operations Center,referring to Nineveh Province where Mosul is located,has been set up and staffed by dozens of US and British soldiers to coordinate the offensive with their Iraqi colleagues.

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.

Inside the Night Raid on ISIL by Kurdish and US Special Forces - tactical details not on TV

At the request of the Kurdish Regional Government,Kurdish counterterrorist troops,backed by US Special Operations Forces,staged a raid in the early hours of Thursday on an ISIL prison in Kirkuk Province,seven kilometers north of the ISIL stronghold of Hawija in Northern Iraq.Dozens of US troops participated in the operation.Intelligence had been received indicating the prisoners' execution by ISIL militants was imminent.The raid was approved by Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter.
The raid began as five US helicopters left Irbil,the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan,to provide troop transport,intelligence and airstrikes for the operation.Attack helicopters strafed the prison area before the raid to block approaches for any potential ISIL reinforcements;after the raid,the helos destroyed the prison.
Once inserted in the prison,the Kurds came under intense attack.Seeing the Kurds pinned down and taking hits,their US advisors engaged the miltants.One of the US special operatives was wounded in the firefight and airlifted to an Irbil hospital,where he died-the first American to die in combat in Iraq since the US withdrew its forces in 2011.The battle lasted two hours.
Killed was Master Sergeant Joshua L. Wheeler,39,of Roland,Oklahoma.A member of the 2nd Battalion,75th Ranger Regiment,Joint Base Lewis-McChord,Washington state,he was assigned to Army Special Operations Command,Fort Bragg,North Carolina.MSGT Wheeler had served more than 12 combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan-one of the most experienced and valiant members of the SOFs.
About 70 prisoners,among whom were around 20 Iraqi Security Forces members,were freed during the raid.All of the prisoners were reportedly Arabs.More than 20 of the ISIL Islamist extremists were killed in the operation and five were captured.The US gleaned valuable intelligence on ISIL from the raid,said Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook.*
In May,US SOFs had staged a raid in Syria and killed a senior ISIL leader,Abu Sayyaf of Tunisia.

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.

CENTCOM Gives Iraq Campaign Update-Iraq receives F-16s

The first 4 of the Iraqi Air Force's 36 new Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcons have arrived at Balad Air Base,Iraq,their pilots and crews having undergone extensive US Air Force training in Arizona.The NATO platform aircraft gives the IAF the interoperability necessary to conduct operations with coalition forces,said US Central Command spokesman Colonel Patrick Ryder,USAF in a teleconference with reporters on 24 July.
COL Ryder also gave an assessment of the Iraqi Security Forces' recent progress against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.They are in the process of isolating Ramadi in Anbar Province,to conduct a deliberate clearing operation to retake the provincial capital city,COL Ryder noted.The counterattack began on 12 July,and since then,76 Operation Inherent Resolve airstrikes have weakened ISIL by targeting enemy positions,weapons caches and equipment.ISIL is resisting by using vehicle bombs,suicide bombers and other tactics to slow the ISF advance,as well as by circulating propaganda to mitigate their losses and overstate operational performance.CENTCOM is encouraged by the ISF well-developed and comprehensive plan they have put together and executed.
The majority of Beiji is now under ISF control,although its oil refinery,the largest in Iraq,is still being contested.In the North,the Kurdish forces hold their defensive lines from Sinjar to the north side of Mosul,then down to the north of Kirkuk aginst ISIL's harassing attacks centered between Sinjar and Mosul.Since 12 July,coalition aircraft have conducted 16 dynamic airstrikes on enemy personnel,weapons and equipment in the Mosul area.
Overall,we've removed hundreds more fighters from the battlefield in Iraq and Syria,including numerous ISIL leaders and facilitators.This inevitably reduces the organisation's effectiveness and forces them to make tough choices on how and where to apply resources,COL Ryder concluded.*
Among the latest airstrike results as of 28 July:
Fighter,fighter-attack,bomber and remotely-piloted aircraft conducted airstrikes in Syria.Near Hasakah,7 sorties destroyed 4 ISIL fighting positions,a staging position,a bunker,a motorcycle and a structure.
Near Aleppo,2 sorties destroyed a vehicle,7 fighting positions and a bunker.*
There were 23 airstrikes in Iraq approved by the Iraqi Ministry of Defence:
Near Beiji,3 sorties struck 2 tactical units and terrain,denying ISIL a tactical advantage,and destroying 2 buildings.
Near Makhmur,3 sorties destroyed 19 fighting positions,10 tunnels and 3 vehicles.
Near Mosul,2 sorties destroyed 2 fighting positions and a vehicle.
Near Ramadi,6 sorties destroyed an excavator,2 fighting positions,a resupply truck,a mortar position,an anti-aircraft artillery weapon,a vehicle and a structure.
Near Sinjar,5 sorties destroyed a vehicle,a heavy machine gun,5 fighting positions and a light machine gun.
Those participating in the Iraq strikes included the US,Australia,Canada,Denmark, France,Jordan,the Netherlands and the UK.
Participating in the Syria strikes were the US,Bahrain,Canada,Jordan,Saudi Arabia and the UAE.*
Lockheed Martin (LMT)

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.