Airstrikes, Kurdish Forces Push ISIL from Bridgeheads Near Mosul

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Feb. 9, 2015 – Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve airstrikes in support of the Iraqi government’s fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant aided in security forces from the Kurdish region seizing three bridgeheads on the west bank of the Tigris River north of Mosul in formerly ISIL-held areas, task force officials said today.

The coalition executed four close air support airstrikes Feb. 6 through yesterday to facilitate the maneuver of the Kurdish forces and their successful attack, officials said.

Advise-and-assist Teams Continue to Assist

In addition to airstrikes, coalition advise-and-assist teams continue to provide operational and intelligence assistance to Kurdish security forces which further enables them to successfully conduct offensive operations, officials added.

Kurdish peshmerga forces now hold the gains they have made, officials said, and are postured to retake additional territory near Mosul from ISIL.

“This most recent peshmerga operation is yet another example of how [ISIL] can be defeated militarily using a combination of well-led and capable ground forces enabled by coalition aviation and advise-and-assist capabilities,” said U.S. Army Lt. Gen. James Terry, the combined joint task force’s commander.