Air and Artillery Strikes Hit ISIL Targets in Syria,Iraq

Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve continued to strike the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant on 3 January in both Syria and Iraq,a news release said.In Syria,among the 21 strikes by attack,bomber,fighter and remotely piloted aircraft on the Islamist extremists were:
Near Shedaddi,three strikes destroyed a vehicle bomb;a vehicle bomb storage facility and a fighting position;and damaged a repeater box and a communications tower.
Near Raqqah,seven strikes destroyed a vehicle bomb;a vehicle bomb storage facility;a weapons cache and 11 fighting positions;and suppressed a tactical unit.*
In Iraq,among the six strikes by attack,bomber,fighter and remotely piloted aircraft and rocket artillery conducted with and in support of Iraq's government on the ISIL militants were:
Near Hawayjah,two strikes destroyed a pickup truck and vehicle bomb storage facility.
Near Mosul,three strikes destroyed two mortars;a tactical vehicle and two command and control nodes;damaged two supply routes and suppressed nine mortar teams and a tactical unit.*
Those who have conducted strikes in Iraq include the US;Australia;Belgium;Canada;Denmark;France;Jordan;the Netherlands;and the UK.
Those who have conducted strikes in Syria include the US;Australia;Bahrain;Canada;France;Jordan;the Netherlands;Saudi Arabia;Turkey;the UAE;and the UK.

Pentagon Official:Fighting Will Intensify as Battle of Mosul Progresses Inward

Iraq's elite counterterrorism troops,the Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF),have entered the eastern side of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant northern stronghold of Mosul,said press operations director Captain Jeff Davis,US Navy,on 15 November to reporters at the Pentagon.ISOF has 18,000 troops in three brigades,and is part of the Iraqi Counterterrorism Service.They're clearing those eastern neighbourhoods of Mosul city,doing this in a deliberate and incremental manner so as to safeguard the civilian population as much as possible.It may be one-third cleared in terms of acreage,but it's not one-third clear in terms of challenge and task ahead,because as they get closer to the center of the city,it's going to get dense and more fierce in the fighting,Captain Davis warned.*
According to a 16 November press conference by US Air Force Colonel John Dorrian,spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve in Baghdad,the Iraqi Security Forces continue to make progress in clearing Daesh (the Arab term for ISIL) from Mosul and have seen the fierce resistance they have planned for and we have been talking about for months.This is neighbourhood to neighbourhood fighting,particularly in the East,and the ISF have moved deliberately and have exercised a lot of restraint to protect civilian life.Daesh has done the opposite,taking human shields and dressing as ISF,then arresting civilians who respond positively to them.*
Iraqi Major General Maan al-Saadi said Wednesday that his counterterrorism forces are making headway in the Aden district of the city,400 kilometers north of Baghdad.He also warned of the presence of Daesh booby-traps and hidden IEDs there,al Sumaria TV reported in Arabic.*
ISIL has banned the use of cell phones and confiscated satellite TV dishes to hinder civilian comprehension of the liberation campaign.It has also been executing suspected civilian collaborators with the ISF and putting their bodies on display.Some 5-6,000 ISIL fighters are facing about 100,000 ISF,Kurdish and Shiite paramilitary fighters.OIR coaltion airpower and artillery strikes have been particularly helpful in clearing the ISIL Islamist extremist militants from the outlying areas of greater Mosul and the roads into the city.

SecDef Carter Says More Troops Headed for Iraq - effort to liberate Mosul

On 28 September 2016,US Defense Secretary Ash Carter issued a statement on additional support for the anti-ISIL Operation Inherent Resolve:
In anticipation of the Mosul fight,the United States and the government of Iraq have agreed that additional US and coalition capabilities could help accelerate the campaign at this critical phase.At the request of myself and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dunford,and with the support and approval of Prime Minister Abadi,President Obama has authorised approximately 600 additional US troops to further enable Iraqi forces.The troops,in close coordination with the government of Iraq,will provide specific capabilities including logistics and maintenance support;train,advise and assist teams for ISF and Kurdish Peshmerga for the upcoming Mosul operation;and expanded intelligence resources to help disrupt ISIL'S terrorist network in Iraq and beyond.
The US will continue to stay in close contact with our Iraqi partners as efforts to retake Mosul progress,including the role that the international coalition can continue to play in helping the Iraqi government defeat ISIL.*
For example,On 23 September,US Army Lieutenant General Stephen J. Townsend,commander of Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve,visited Task Force Strike,101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Qayyarah West Airfield,Iraq.Soldiers with the Army's 320th Field Artillery Regiment have been supporting Iraqi Security Forces by executing fire missions against Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant militants with such weapons as the M777 Howitzer.The HiMARS artillery rocket system has also been used by US troops against ISIL in both Iraq and Syria.

US Commandos Active in Northern Syria

The first of 250 more US Special Operations Forces,in addition to the 50 already there,are arriving in Syria.Agence France-Presse photos show US troops in a Syrian town,bearded and in the back of a pickup truck mounted with a MK 47 Striker grenade launcher.Other photos show them patrolling the village of Fatisah with their weapons.Some wore Kurdish Forces patches.They were north of the ISIL stronghold of Raqqa advising and assisting the Syrian Democratic Forces who are Kurds,Arabs and Turkomen,in the struggle against ISIL.*
The Kurdish patches were a sign of partnership and solidarity,said Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman Colonel Steve Warren,US Army.*
Baraa Al-Ghanem,Commander SDF,said that US troops are present at all positions along the front.They are taking part on the ground and in the air.*
The US SOFs have advanced and costly communications equipment and non-traditional small arms,as well as unique camouflage patterns and their low profile helmets.

Operation Inherent Resolve:More Combat Power for the Iraq Campaign

US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford,US Marine Corps,recently briefed reporters on the anti-ISIL Operation Inherent Resolve at the Pentagon.This comes as the Pentagon seeks more US troops for Iraq,possibly including Apache helicopter units and more Special Operations Forces.*
We continue to do more and more,said Mr.Carter.We are systematically eliminating the ISIL cabinet,including Haji Iman,who was their finance minister and a veteran of their precursor organisation,al-Qaida in Iraq.This is the second minister this month we've taken out,after their minister of war.We've taken out the leader who oversees the funding of ISIL operations.
Iraqi Security Forces have moved from their staging base at Makhmur.The US Marines are now providing artillery at the request of the Iraqis to help support the ISF advance against the enemy and protect their forces,so in both Syria and Iraq,we are seeing important steps to shape what will be crucial battles in the months to come.The US military will continue to work intensively with our coalition partners to build on this progress as our counterparts throughout our governments work to defend our homelands at the same time.
We're not going to go into any further details about how our coalition conducted the operations I mentioned earlier.These leaders have been around for a long time.They are senior;they are experienced,Mr.Carter explained.Note:SOFs were reportedly used to take out Haji Iman.*
We are facilitating ISF in staging around Mosul to begin to isolate Mosul and,as the Iraqis have announced,that has begun,said General Joseph Dunford.These Marines that were there near Makhmour,their artillery battery that was there,were in direct support of that.We put the battery there to support the Americans that were there advising the ISF and also to be in a position to provide support to the ISF.From my perspective,this is no different from aviation fires that we have been delivering.This is surface fires;they're artillery,but certainly no different conceptually than the fire support we've been providing to the Iraqis all along.And with regard to accelerants,the Secretary and I do expect that there will be increased capabilities provided to the Iraqis to set the conditions for their operations in Mosul.And those decisions haven't been made yet,but we certainly do expect more of the things that we saw in Ramadi-albeit a bit different,tailored for operations in Mosul;but again,the primary force fighting in Mosul will be the ISF,and we'll be in a position to provide advise,assist and enabling capabilities to make them successful.
We've had surface fires in Al Asad and other places,and we've used them in the past,so this is not a fundamental shift in our approach to support the ISF.This happened to be the most appropriate tool that the commander assessed needed to be in that location,General Dunford added.*
This is our approach to eliminating ISIL.The ISF are the ones who are carrying out the assault,the envelopment and assault,but we're helping them.That's been our approach and we'll continue to do that.It started in Ramadi;we'll continue going up to Mosul,Mr.Carter emphasised.*
We have a series of recommendations that we will be discussing with the President in the coming weeks to further enable our support with the ISF,so again the Secretary and I both believe there will be an increase to the US forces in Iraq in the coming weeks,but that decision hasn't been made,General Dunford said.What is it that we need to do to maintain the momentum of the campaign,and what is it that specifically we need to do to enable the operations in Mosul? the Joint Chiefs Chairman asked.
I think it's indisputable,whether we're talking about the amount of ground they control,their command and control-I think we've affected that in a key way;but there's a lot that remains to be done.While ISIL hasn't been seizing ground in recent months,they continue to conduct terrorist attacks and guerilla attacks.I think the momentum is in our favour.I think there's a lot of reasons for us to be optimistic about the next several months,but by no means would I say we're about to break the back of ISIL or that the fight is over,General Dunford cautioned.

The CIA Versus ISIL

CIA Deputy Director David S. Cohen says the Agency is working closely with the US military in Iraq and Syria to disrupt and degrade ISIL.Mr.Cohen was previously Deputy Director for Operations (clandestine service) at the CIA.*
John Brennan,Director of the Central Intelligence Agency,adds that ISIL today is a greater cause for alarm than al-Qaida was after 9-11.ISIL is a lot larger than al-Qaida was and goes into more places.*
Italy will allow US drones to be based at the US Naval Air Station in Sigonella,Sicily for protection of US Special Operations Forces serving on the ground in Libya and elsewhere in North Africa.No offensive operations by the drones will be permitted and Italian pre-approval of the strikes will be required.Italy says it is committed to playing its part in the anti-ISIL effort,Operation Inherent Resolve.
The programme was initiated in January.
While the CIA has recently been involved in identification and location of ISIL leaders in Syria for drone targeting,the Pentagon's Joint Special Operations Command has actually been carrying out the strikes.It is not known whether the Agency is playing the same role in the North Africa programme.

War On ISIL Update,Part 2 - From Raqqa To Mosul

Last week Colonel Steve Warren,US Army,spokesman for Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve,gave reporters a briefing on the progress of the anti-ISIL effort.We have not seen ISIL move forces out of Raqqa,Syria,he said.I'm not going to get into the leadership.This isn't the right place for that.*
Sinjar,Iraq is liberated.The PKK Kurds are now clearing IEDs and booby-traps ISIL left behind.The severing of strategic Highway 47 that runs from Raqqa to Mosul by the Kurdish forces will force ISIL to go through rat lines and smuggling routes through the desert.Whereas before it took them hours,now it will take them days.They are less able to mutually reinforce their own positions.
ISIL is under pressure in Iraq and Syria,from the north to the south,primarily from ground forces.They are forced to make very difficult decisions and not help other places of its organisation.When they move,they pop up and become very easy targets for our air power.
As targets are destroyed,others will emerge.If repaired,we will re-attack.The French targets in Raqqa were part of the process.Every nation receives these targets from the coalition.*
The northern access to Ramadi,capital of Anbar Province,Iraq,has met with some pretty stiff resistance.It's slow and incremental work.We believe all the pieces are in place.We believe the Iraqis have a plan that's workable.We believe it's time to execute it.The enemy has put in some fairly complex obstacles.We provided some very substantial airpower,some complex equipment and training to help,Colonel Warren pointed out.

War On ISIL Update:Operation Tidal Wave II;French Airstrikes

The US-led Operation Inherent Resolve coalition has undertaken a systematic bombing campaign to deprive the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant of its revenue from Syrian oil fields.The effort is called Operation Tidal Wave II,named for the World War II operation in which US aircraft bombed nine Romanian oil refineries.As part of the campaign,OIR aircraft attacked a number of tanker trucks recently that were waiting to fill up outside an oil facility,destroying 116 of the tankers.The truck drivers themselves are probably not members of ISIL,said US Army Colonel Steve Warren of Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve in a press briefing,so we developed leaflets to drop to them and made low passes to shoo people away.We decided it is in our interest to go strike these trucks.Oil funds more than 50% of ISIL operations.It was a long process of analysis and discussion,and finally we reached the decision.It was a US CENTCOM commander decision.
The trucks we hit were queued up in the vicinity of one of these oil facilities we had been striking.There was a backlog and they were just sitting there.It was a pretty straightforward attack.The aircraft expended 24 500 lb. bombs and all their ammuntion.Some civilians ran from the trucks into a tent.They were legitimate military targets,but-just to show what we're about-the pilots decided they didn't need to strike them.
The trucks are just one link in the chain.What we've done in Operation Tidal Wave II is break every link in this chain.This was not a piecemeal execution.It was a sudden strike that swept across these oil fields.Their problem now is trying to find out how to fix their broken oil wells.*
ISIL's decision to start expanding their operations outside their borders is something that should concern everyone.That's why we're here;it's why the 65-nation coalition has come together to try to defeat it.I don't know if our campaign has caused that.*
Manjib Pocket is ISIL's last border crossing from Syria into Turkey.There are no US troops on the Turkish side conducting operations.We are working with the Turks to help them ultimately seal that border.*
We supplied the anti-ISIL Syrian Arab Coalition with ammunition about two months ago.We've made a decision not to announce further support,other than to say we reinforce success.*
The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is steaming on its way to the Eastern Mediterranean now.We don't have a specific arrival date.We're encouraged by the fact that the Charles de Gaulle is en route to that theatre.The Charles de Gaulle is supporting the US-led coalition.We do expect the French contribution to OIR to grow.
I don't have a casualty count for the French airstrikes on Raqqa,Syria.They were vetted targets in the slate to get hit eventually.We rarely ever get back battle damage assessments from these preplanned strikes,Colonel Warren noted.

Counterattacks Seek To Reverse ISIL's Recent Gains

ISIL has executed 20 Syrian men it accused of being Assad regime soldiers in the ancient Roman theatre ruins of Palmyra,Syria.After ISIL had assembled a crowd in the theatre,the men were shot,according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.The Islamist extremist group had seized the city on 21 May,and has executed at least 217 people so far,the SOHR says,67 of them civilians.There are fears they will also demolish the priceless Roman colonnades and sell off any movable antiquities,as they have done at Iraqi historic sites.
Elsewhere in Syria,the SOHR reports that ISIL has lost ground in Hasakah Province of Northeast Syria.In a 10-day offensive,Kurdish forces early this week liberated 14 Assyrian Christian villages ISIL had seized in February.This was enabled by a major series of air strikes carried out as part of Operation Inherent Resolve by the US and its allies.In the raids from 24-25 May,4 ISIL fighting positions were destroyed,as well as a checkpoint,an excavator,a vehicle borne IED and another vehicle.No civilian casualties were reported from the air strikes.Those participating in the OIR air campaign in Syria include the US,Canada,Bahrain,Jordan,Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Just over the border in Iraq,thousands of Iraqi security forces and allies,including the Hashed al-Shaabi Shiite militias and volunteers,are converging on Ramadi,the capital of Anbar Province that was overrun by ISIL at the same time they seized Palmyra,Syria.The counterattack on Ramadi has already begun,with the ISF retaking the Taesh and Humeyrah districts of the city.They have also entered the Anbar University grounds,but have not yet liberated it from Daesh-the Arab word for ISIL.