White House, DoD Step Up Counter-ISIL Campaign in Iraq, Syria

By Terri Moon Cronk DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, October 30, 2015 — Intensifying the campaign against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Iraq and Syria will enhance U.S. military strategies that are working while moving away from those that are not, a senior Defense Department official said today.

Speaking to Pentagon reporters on background following the White House announcement on stepping up the anti-ISIL campaign, the official said DoD outlined five objectives that, used in concert, will achieve strategic success.

Concurrent With Existing Campaign

The five objectives will be concurrent with the existing U.S. and coalition forces campaign to maximize pressure on ISIL, the official said. The objectives are designed to:

-- Enhance training in Iraq, particularly in counter-improvised explosive devices, counter-breaching and combined arms to enable Iraqi security forces to take back Ramadi and Beiji from ISIL control. The training is to counter what has become ISIL’s sophisticated use of IEDs.

-- Add new and additional local Syrian forces and equipment to take and ultimately hold the ISIL-declared stronghold of Raqqa. A small complement of special operations forces is deploying to northern Syria to help coordinate local ground forces in advise-and-assist roles, such as operational planning and logistics. The White House said the U.S. special ops forces would number less than 50. The DoD official noted those forces also could be used to support continued raids in Iraq and Syria, but not to participate in joint operations.

-- Secure northern Syria’s border with Turkey to drastically reduce the flow of foreign fighters, material and money to ISIL. Putting pressure on the northern Syria border also is designed to thicken air operations in the region, the official said, with a greater density of planes making airstrikes, in addition to adding a greater density of intelligence assets to develop targets. The White House announcement said A-10s and F-15s will be deployed to Incirlik Air Base in Turkey.

-- Degrade ISIL lines of communication to strain the connection ISIL extremists have between Raqqa and Mosul in Iraq.

-- Reinforce Jordan’s and Lebanon’s defenses as ISIL is pushed south and west. Enhancing counter-ISIL support in both nations is expected to provide enhanced contingency planning so a strong defense plan is in place and reinforced, the official said. Lebanon likely will have doubled security assistance in its armed forces to protect against ISIL’s and other terrorist groups’ encroachment, the official said.

Airstrikes Continue Against ISIL Terrorists in Iraq, Syria

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, October 27, 2015 — U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Airstrikes in Syria

Fighter aircraft conducted one airstrike in Syria:

-- Near Mara, one strike destroyed an ISIL mortar system.

Airstrikes in Iraq

Attack, bomber and fighter aircraft conducted 12 airstrikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of the government of Iraq:

-- Near Kisik, three strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed three ISIL fighting positions and suppressed two ISIL machine gun positions.

-- Near Ramadi, three strikes struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed eight ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL vehicle bomb, four ISIL heavy machine guns and an ISIL artillery piece and also suppressed an ISIL cannon and denied ISIL access to terrain.

-- Near Sinjar, six strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed nine ISIL fighting positions, three ISIL assembly areas and an ISIL checkpoint and suppressed an ISIL machine gun position.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations conducting airstrikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations conducting airstrikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

Strikes Hit ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq

SOUTHWEST ASIA, October 22, 2015 — U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Airstrikes in Syria

Attack, bomber and fighter aircraft conducted eight strikes in Syria:

-- Near Raqqah, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.

-- Near Washiyah, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL excavator.

-- Near Mar’a, a strike destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun and an ISIL building.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, five strikes struck two ISIL crude oil collection points, an ISIL maintenance and storage yard, an ISIL main petroleum station, and an ISIL cash distribution site.

Airstrikes in Iraq

Bomber, fighter, ground-attack, attack, and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 14 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of the Iraqi government:

-- Near Kirkuk, a strike suppressed an ISIL mortar position.

-- Near Mosul, a strike suppressed an ISIL mortar position.

-- Near Ramadi, three strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed three ISIL fighting positions, two ISIL heavy machine guns, an ISIL building, an ISIL bunker, and an ISIL vehicle.

-- Near Sinjar, a strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

-- Near Sultan Abdallah, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position, an ISIL heavy machine gun, and an ISIL vehicle.

-- Near Tal Afar, seven strikes struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL bomb facility, an ISIL bomb-making facility, five ISIL vehicles, two ISIL bunkers, 31 ISIL fighting positions, and two ISIL supply caches.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the group's ability to project terror and conduct operations.

Coalition nations conducting strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations conducting strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.