Coalition Partner Forces Clear ISIS Caves in Southern Syria

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Dec. 27, 2017 — In partnership with coalition forces, the Maghawir al-Thawra conducted a series of ground clearance operations Dec. 23 to drive Islamic State of Iraq and Syria terrorists out of the Hamad Desert in southern Syria, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

The Maghawir al-Thawra, a vetted Syrian opposition force, has been fighting ISIS in the tri-border area of Iraq, Syria, and Jordan since 2015, according to officials.

Ongoing successful operations follow previous engagements earlier this month, in which the Maghawir al-Thawra, also known as MaT, killed several ISIS terrorists in the 34-mile de-confliction zone recognized by the coalition, Russia and the Syrian regime, officials said.

“The combined operations are a result of many hours of planning, building trust and close cooperation between coalition Special Operations Forces and the MaT,” said Army Maj. Gen. James B. Jarrard, the commander of Operation Inherent Resolve’s Special Operations Joint Task Force.

Terrorists Lose Weapons Storage Sites

Operations have disrupted ISIS’ freedom of movement by clearing several caves the terrorist organization has historically used to store weapons, explosives and communications equipment, officials said.

The ISIS terrorists were using the area to transit from the Euphrates River Valley, where they have enjoyed relative freedom of movement while fleeing the coalition’s successful Syrian Democratic Forces partners, according to officials.

Recent defeat-ISIS operations conducted by the MaT confirm the de-confliction zone remains inhospitable to the terrorists, officials said.

"ISIS has repeatedly surfaced in the Hamad Desert," Jarrard said. "However, inside the de-confliction zone, our partner forces have successfully thwarted ISIS' movements."

The cave clearing operations highlight the MaT’s professionalism, tactical skill and their overall impact as an effective security force within the de-confliction zone, officials said.

Chairman’s USO Holiday Tour Entertains Troops in Afghanistan, Iraq

By Jim Garamone DoD News, Defense Media Activity

Q-WEST, Iraq, Dec. 26, 2017 — “We could not bring you home for Christmas, so we decided to bring a little bit of home to you,” Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford said yesterday on Christmas to service members here at this base near Mosul.

That’s the heart of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s annual USO Holiday Tour playing in Iraq after putting on shows in Afghanistan, aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, at al-Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates and at Moron Air Base, Spain.

The American people -- through the USO -- sponsored a holiday tour that started Dec. 20 and runs through today. The idea was to reach out to as many service members as possible during the tour, to include many remote areas as well.

These are not easy tours to put on and even as iconic an organization as the USO can have a hard time getting entertainers who can travel during the holidays. For many stars, the holiday season is the only time during the year when they have a break.

Entertainers Visit With Deployed U.S. Troops

But the organization managed to put together a group of entertainers with the time, desire and drive to make the trip. All of them had made USO tours in the past, and all made the sacrifice of missing their own holidays with family to put on 11 shows on two continents for the troops.

The modes of transportation ran the gamut from C-17 and C-130 aircraft, to UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters, to a landing and takeoff on a C-2 Greyhound aircraft from the USS Theodore Roosevelt. On the ground they rode in dusty buses in Iraq and Afghanistan, to just walking to the venue from the flightline.

The impact of the tour is best explained in a series of vignettes.

At Camp Taji, Iraq, a Texas National Guardsman serving with the 1st Armored Division stood in the crowd and sang along with Country star Jerrod Niemann.

One group of soldiers at Operating Base Lightning in Afghanistan was so excited to meet actor/comedian Adam Devine that they could hardly put two words together to ask for a photo with him. Then, when they got the photo, they jokingly criticized the way he did a push-up on stage.

A young airman at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, was overcome by laughter at a line from comedian Iliza Shlesinger.

WWE wrestling is big in the Navy. The sailors on the hangar deck of the Roosevelt chanted “USA, USA, USA” when professional wrestlers the Miz and Alicia Fox took the stage.

Marines deployed to Spain thanked Chef Robert Irvine and his wife Gail Kim for visiting. The two said in response it was they who should be thanking the Marines, quickly saying it was their honor to meet them.

Retired Army Capt. Florent Groberg visited Operating Base Fenty for the first time since he was medically evacuated from the post in 2012. He touched the names of four of his comrades engraved on a memorial plaque. The men were killed in the same action for which he received the Medal of Honor.

Soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines at stops all along the route received boxes from Operation Gratitude. At Q-West on Christmas Day, a young specialist opened a box from the group with a huge smile. “The mail has been kind of hit-or-miss lately,” he said. “I hadn’t received anything from my family, and this means a lot.”

At Bagram, a 3rd Infantry Division soldier used a K-bar knife to open a bright pink box of Georgetown Cupcakes.

The standing ovation for Jerrod Niemann’s new song “(That’s Why They Call It) Old Glory” at Bagram Air Base.

And at every stop along the way, Command Sgt. Maj. John Wayne Troxell, the chairman’s senior enlisted advisor, telling the troops to not let up, to keep focused. “We have ISIS on the run,” Troxell told them. “And we are going to keep after them through working with allies, or dropping a bomb on them. We are going to give ISIS two choices: surrender or die.”

At each base, Dunford and the sergeant major got a chance to talk with service members at every level. The conversations were involved and covered a range of issues. It was an invaluable first-hand look at the morale of service members at the pointy end of the spear.

“There is no place we would rather be than out here with you,” Dunford told soldiers at Q-West. “And if you get a chance to speak to your families back home, thank them for me for the sacrifices they are making, too.”

California Man Arrested for Attempting to Provide Material Support to A Terrorist Organization

A federal complaint was unsealed today, charging Everitt Aaron Jameson, 26, of Modesto, with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. Jameson was arrested today and is scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara A. McAuliffe in Fresno, California at 2pm. 

According to court documents, Jameson had several online interactions with a confidential source in which he expressed support for the October 31, 2017, terrorist attack in New York City and offered his services for “the cause.”  In subsequent communications with an undercover agent, Jameson referred to his training in the U.S. military and noted he had been trained for combat and war.  Jameson later met with another undercover agent whom he believed to be associated with the senior leadership of the foreign terrorist organization, ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, also known as ISIL).  During his interactions with this undercover agent, Jameson offered to carry out violent acts and to provide financial support for the terrorist organization. 

"The Department of Justice works resolutely every day to prevent terrorist attacks," said Attorney General Sessions.  "In my time back at the Department, nothing has impressed me more.  Today, our incredible law enforcement officers have once again helped thwart an alleged plot to kill Americans. I want to thank the FBI agents and federal prosecutors and everyone else who helped make this possible. The threat from radical Islamic terrorism is real—and it is serious—but the American people can be assured that the Department of Justice remains vigilant in protecting our homeland."

U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert stated, “I want to express my thanks to the FBI for working in partnership with my office on this case.  We are grateful that our hardworking law enforcement partners remain vigilant in protecting our communities, especially during this holiday season.”

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Dawrence W. Rice and Christopher D. Baker are prosecuting the case, together with Trial Attorney Brenda Sue Thornton from the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Security Division, Counterterrorism Section.

If convicted, Jameson faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.