DOD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.

Command Sgt. Maj. Timothy A. Bolyard, 42, from Thornton, West Virginia, died Sept. 3, 2018, of wounds sustained from small arms fire in Logar Province, Afghanistan. The incident is under investigation.

Bolyard was assigned to 3rd Squadron, 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade, Fort Benning, Georgia.

For more information regarding Command Sgt. Maj. Timothy A. Bolyard, contact 1st Security Force Assistance Command Public Affairs at (910) 570-7200.

Miller Takes Over NATO, U.S. Commands in Afghanistan

By Jim Garamone, DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON -- Army Gen. John M. Nicholson passed command of NATO’s Resolute Support Mission and U.S. Forces Afghanistan to Army Gen. Austin S. Miller during a ceremony in Kabul, Afghanistan, today.

Nicholson has been commander in Afghanistan since March 2016 and is the longest-serving NATO commander in the country.

Miller comes to Afghanistan after serving as the commander of Joint Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Both men served in the country previously.

The Long War

Nicholson said Afghanistan has been at war for more than 40 years. From the breakup of the monarchy and occupation by the Soviets to civil war and the Taliban sheltering of al-Qaida and allowing the terror group to launch its attacks on the U.S., the country has been at arms. “It’s time for this war in Afghanistan to end,” Nicholson said.

“[Afghan] President [Ashraf] Ghani’s courageous decision to announce a ceasefire over Eid al Fitr unleashed the strong call of the Afghan people for peace,” he said. “The entire world has witnessed this, and we support it. I believe some ofthe4 Taliban want peace also, but they are being encouraged to keep fighting. To the Taliban I say, you don’t need to keep killing your fellow Afghans. You don’t need to keep killing your fellow Muslims. The time for peace is now.”

Nicholson called on the Taliban to listen to the voice of their own people and enter serious negotiations with the Afghan government. He said as long as the Taliban continues to fight, Afghan government forces will continue to stand up to them. “But make no mistake, until you are willing to begin talking, we will keep fighting,” he said. “The brave young men and women of the Afghan security forces will always have our full support.”

He noted that the coalition in Afghanistan continues to grow. Nations around the world have pledged funds and personnel to help Afghanistan. “These nations are here on a conditions basis, not a calendar,” Nicholson said. “They do this because peace in Afghanistan is in everyone’s best interests.”

Common Cause

After accepting the command flags, Miller said it is an honor to be standing with representatives of 41 nations that are part of the coalition. “How often do we come together for a common cause,” he said in his remarks. “The world recognizes that Afghanistan cannot be a safe haven for terrorism. The world recognizes that we cannot fail. I know this has been a long fight and it has been generational. For us, for the Afghan people.

“I know the reason we are fighting and I know why we are here. And I know terrorist seek safe haven to export murder and attack the innocent and attack everybody’s way of life,” he said.

Miller said the Afghan people must use courage and leadership to push forward. The coalition will help, but Afghans must be the catalyst for peace. “After 17 years of war for this coalition, there have been many sacrifices,” he said. “Our NATO and coalition members have sacrificed much. Our Afghan partners and their people sacrifice daily in too great numbers and I offer my deepest condolences and respect to all of Afghanistan fallen and wounded.”

The general said that to be successful in the very tough fight in Afghanistan, all must continue to learn and adapt. “We must be wary of bias and easy conclusions: They don’t exist here,” Miller said. “I challenge all of us to always increase your understanding of the complexities, be adaptive, and as you execute, be relentless.”

Coalition Strikes Continue Against ISIS Targets in Iraq, Syria

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve and its partners continue to pursue the lasting defeat of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria in designated parts of Syria and Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Operation Roundup, which began May 1 to accelerate the defeat of ISIS in the Middle Euphrates River Valley and Iraq-Syria border region, has continued to gain ground and remove terrorists from the battlefield through offensive operations coupled with precision coalition strike support.

Between Aug. 27-Sept. 2, coalition military forces conducted 30 strikes, consisting of 35 engagements, in Iraq and Syria

Strikes in Syria

There were no reported strikes conducted in Syria yesterday.

On Sept. 1, coalition military forces conducted eight strikes consisting of 11 engagements against ISIS targets near Abu Kamal. The strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed six ISIS supply routes, an ISIS command-and-control center and an ISIS logistics hub.

On Aug. 31, coalition military forces conducted 11 strikes consisting of 11 engagements against ISIS targets near Abu Kamal. The strikes engaged three ISIS tactical units and destroyed two ISIS vehicles, seven ISIS supply routes, an ISIS mortar system and an ISIS heavy machine gun.

On Aug. 30, coalition military forces conducted two strikes consisting of two engagements against ISIS targets near Abu Kamal. The strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed 31 ISIS vehicles.

There were no reported strikes conducted in Syria on Aug. 29.

On Aug. 28, coalition military forces conducted three strikes consisting of three engagements against ISIS targets near Abu Kamal. The strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed an ISIS supply route.

On Aug. 27, coalition military forces conducted two strikes consisting of two engagements against ISIS targets near Abu Kamal. The strikes destroyed three ISIS supply routes.

Strikes in Iraq

On Sept. 2, coalition military forces conducted two strikes consisting of four engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Beiji, a strike destroyed four ISIS caves.

-- Near Qayyarah, a strike destroyed an ISIS-held building.

On Sept. 1, coalition military forces conducted a strike consisting of one engagement against ISIS targets near Makhmur.

There were no reported strikes conducted in Iraq on Aug. 31.

On Aug. 30, coalition military forces conducted a strike consisting of one engagement against ISIS targets near Rutbah. The strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed an ISIS vehicle.

There were no reported strikes conducted in Iraq Aug. 27-29.

Additional Strikes

The following strikes in Iraq and Syria were not reported in the previous release:

On Aug. 26 in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted two strikes consisting of two engagements against ISIS targets near Makhmur. The strikes destroyed five ISIS caves and an ISIS-held building.

On Aug. 25 in Syria, coalition military forces conducted a strike consisting of one engagement against ISIS targets near Abu Kamal. The strike destroyed an ISIS supply route.

On Aug. 22 in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted a strike consisting of five engagements against ISIS targets near Tuz. The strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed three ISIS vehicles.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

These strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to destroy ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The destruction of ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria also further limits the group's ability to project terror and conduct external operations throughout the region and the rest of the world, task force officials said.

The list above contains all strikes conducted by fighter, attack, bomber, rotary-wing or remotely piloted aircraft; rocket-propelled artillery; and ground-based tactical artillery, officials noted.

A strike, as defined by the coalition, refers to one or more kinetic engagements that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single or cumulative effect.

For example, task force officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIS vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of ISIS-held buildings and weapon systems in a compound, having the cumulative effect of making that facility harder or impossible to use. Strike assessments are based on initial reports and may be refined, officials said.

The task force does not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target.