Britain is at war: RAF Tornados are in the air over Iraq with orders to strike ISIS - and SAS are on the ground to guide in the bombs

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[h=1]Coalition Continues Strikes Against ISIS[/h][FONT=&quot]From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release[/FONT]

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[FONT=&quot]SOUTHWEST ASIA, Feb. 19, 2017 — U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
Officials reported details of yesterday’s strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.
Strikes in Syria
Coalition military forces conducted 26 strikes consisting of 28 engagements against ISIS targets in Syria:
-- Near Abu Kamal, three strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed two vehicles and a communications tower.
-- Near Bab, three strikes engaged three ISIS tactical units and destroyed a fighting position and a vehicle.
-- Near Raqqa, 10 strikes engaged seven ISIS tactical units and destroyed four oil storage tanks, three fighting positions, two ISIS-held buildings, two vehicles, a weapons cache, an oil refinement still and a communications station.
-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, 10 strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed eight oil wellheads, a weapons cache, a fighting position and an oil pump jack.
Strikes in Iraq
Coalition military forces conducted 14 strikes consisting of 43 engagements against ISIS targets in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of the Iraqi government:
-- Near Beiji, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed three tents, a vehicle and a tactical vehicle.
-- Near Kirkuk, a strike destroyed three front-end loaders and a bulldozer.
-- Near Kisik, two strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a weapons cache and an ISIS-held building.
-- Near Mosul, nine strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and an ISIS staging area; damaged nine supply routes and three tunnels; suppressed 11 mortar teams and an artillery team; and destroyed four ISIS headquarters, four watercraft, three engineering equipment pieces, three command and control nodes, two artillery systems, a vehicle, an excavator, a fighting position, an ISIS-held building, and an ISIS support facility.
-- Near Taji, a strike destroyed an ISIS-held building.
Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIS vehicle is a strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIS to use.
Accordingly, officials said, they do 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. Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike.
Part of Operation Inherent Resolve
The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIS terrorist group and the threat it poses to Iraq, Syria, the region and the wider international community. The destruction of targets in Syria and Iraq further limits ISIS' ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.[/FONT]

 

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[h=1]Iraqi Security Forces Begin Operations to Liberate West Mosul[/h][FONT=&quot]From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release[/FONT]

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[FONT=&quot]SOUTHWEST ASIA, Feb. 19, 2017 — The government of Iraq and Iraqi security forces announced today the commencement of operations to liberate western Mosul from Islamic State of Iraq and Syria terrorists, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported.

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U.S soldiers execute a fire mission to support Iraqi security forces during the Mosul counteroffensive in northern Iraq, Dec. 24, 2016. About two months later, Iraqi forces with coalition assistance have launched the operation to liberate western Mosul -- the last ISIS stronghold in the city. Army photo by 1st Lt. Daniel Johnson

In a release, officials said the battle for the complete liberation of Mosul cannot come soon enough for the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi citizens who for more than two years have suffered under ISIS oppression and terror.
“ISIS’s cruelty, brutality and reach show they are not just a threat in Iraq and Syria, but to the region and the entire world,” said Army Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander of Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve.
ISF 'Have Risen to the Challenge'
Over the course of the past two years, and in particular the past four months in Mosul, the Iraqi forces have proved themselves to be an increasingly capable, formidable and professional force, the release said.
“Mosul would be a tough fight for any army in the world, and the Iraqi forces have risen to the challenge,” Townsend said in the release. “They have taken the fight to the enemy and sacrificed their blood for the people of Iraq and the rest of the world.”
The release said the ISF is "standing fast" against ISIS terrorists who employ ruthless defensive tactics, including the employment of suicide vehicles, improvised explosive devices, explosive-laden unmanned aerial vehicles and chemical weapons.
“While ISIS indiscriminately targets civilians the Iraqi security forces continue to do everything in their power to protect the citizens of Mosul, of all sects and religions,” said Townsend. “They have shown all of Iraq how to be a unified nation.”
Coalition Contributions
Over the course of the past two years, the release said, a coalition of more than 65 nations unified to defeat ISIS. The coalition contributes by providing the Iraqi forces with equipment, training, intelligence and surveillance, precision fire support and military advice to leaders, the release said.
To date, the coalition has conducted more than 10,000 airstrikes against ISIS targets in Iraq and trained and equipped more than 70,000 Iraqi forces to support Iraqi operations, according to the release.
“The entire Coalition salutes and wishes God’s blessings on the brave Iraqi soldiers, police and militias who today are fighting to liberate their country and make the region and the world a safer place,” Townsend said in the release.[/FONT]

 

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[h=1]Counter-ISIS Strikes Continue in Syria, Iraq[/h][FONT=&quot]From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release[/FONT]

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[FONT=&quot]SOUTHWEST ASIA, Feb. 20, 2017 — U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
Officials reported details of yesterday’s strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.
Strikes in Syria
Coalition military forces conducted 16 strikes consisting of 29 engagements against ISIS targets in Syria:
-- Near Bab, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit.
-- Near Shadaddi, three strikes engaged three ISIS tactical units and destroyed two fighting positions and a vehicle.
-- Near Raqqa, eight strikes engaged five ISIS tactical units and destroyed two ISIS headquarters, a vehicle, a command and control node, a vehicle bomb, a vehicle bomb facility, an artillery system, and a tunnel.
-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, three strikes destroyed seven oil wellheads.
-- Near Palmyra, a strike destroyed an anti-air artillery system.
Strikes in Iraq
Coalition military forces conducted 13 strikes consisting of 63 engagements in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of the Iraqi government:
-- Near Haditha, a strike destroyed five connexes.
-- Near Huwayjah, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle.
-- Near Mosul, six strikes engaged four ISIS tactical units and two ISIS staging areas; damaged 15 supply routes; suppressed nine mortar teams and an artillery team; and destroyed five mortar systems, four vehicles, three supply caches, three artillery systems, two command and control nodes, an ISIS headquarters, a bomb-making facility, a heavy machine gun, a logistics node and a fighting position.
-- Near Rawah, two strikes destroyed two vehicle bomb facilities and an ISIS-held building.
-- Near Taji, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit.
-- Near Tal Afar, two strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed an ISIS-held building and an excavator.
Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIS vehicle is a strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIS to use.
Accordingly, officials said, they do 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. Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike.
Part of Operation Inherent Resolve
The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIS terrorist group and the threat it poses to Iraq, Syria, the region and the wider international community. The destruction of targets in Syria and Iraq further limits ISIS' ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.[/FONT]

 

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Officials Provide Details of Latest Strikes in Syria, Iraq
From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release


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SOUTHWEST ASIA, Feb. 21, 2017 — U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.


U.S. Central Command continues to work with partner nations to conduct targeted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria as part of the comprehensive strategy to degrade and defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS.
Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.


Strikes in Syria


Coalition military forces conducted 17 strikes consisting of 28 engagements in Syria:


-- Near Bab, three strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units, destroyed four ISIS-held buildings and damaged an ISIS-held building.


-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, four strikes destroyed six oil wellheads.


-- Near Palmyra, three strikes destroyed 26 oil tanker trucks.


-- Near Raqqa, seven strikes engaged four ISIS tactical units; destroyed three fighting positions, a vehicle bomb, a garage, an improvised explosive device and a weapons facility; and damaged a bridge.


Strikes in Iraq


Coalition military forces conducted nine strikes consisting of 61 engagements in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:


-- Near Beiji, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and an ISIS staging area and destroyed a weapons cache, a vehicle bomb and a vehicle bomb facility.


-- Near Kisik, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed two ISIS-held buildings, a vehicle bomb, a vehicle, a tactical vehicle and an unmanned aircraft.


-- Near Mosul, six strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units; destroyed 11 mortar systems, three ISIS headquarters, three ISIS-held buildings, two anti-air artillery systems, two tactical vehicles, two supply caches, a front-end loader, a fighting position, a weapons facility, a vehicle bomb and an improvised explosive device; damaged nine supply routes; and suppressed 14 mortar teams and an ISIS tactical unit.


-- Near Tal Afar, a strike destroyed a vehicle bomb facility.


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 some ground-based tactical artillery when fired on planned targets, officials noted.


Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike, they added. 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.

 

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[h=1]Inherent Resolve Strikes Target ISIS in Syria, Iraq[/h][FONT=&quot]From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release[/FONT]

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[FONT=&quot]SOUTHWEST ASIA, Feb. 22, 2017 — U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.



Officials reported details of yesterday’s strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.
Strikes in Syria
Coalition military forces conducted 23 strikes consisting of 36 engagements in Syria:
-- Near Raqqa, 10 strikes engaged seven ISIS tactical units; destroyed three fighting positions and three tactical vehicles; and damaged two bridges.
-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, nine strikes destroyed seven modular oil refineries, two workover oil rigs and a pump jack.
-- Near Palmyra, four strikes destroyed a tactical vehicle, a heavy machine gun and a pump jack and damaged a tank.
Strikes in Iraq
Coalition military forces conducted nine strikes consisting of 57 engagements in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:
-- Near Baghdad, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit.
-- Near Beiji, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit; destroyed 11 vehicles, a front-end loader and a weapons cache; and damaged a bridge.
-- Near Mosul, four strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units; destroyed three mortar systems, three vehicles, two improvised bombs, two command-and-control nodes, a supply cache, an artillery system, a front-end loader, an excavator, a tactical vehicle and a medium machine gun; damaged 13 supply routes and a tunnel; and suppressed 13 mortar teams and an artillery team.
-- Near Rawah, a strike engaged two ISIS staging areas and an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed an anti-air artillery system and a storage facility.
-- Near Tal Afar, two strikes destroyed an excavator and a vehicle-borne bomb.
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 some ground-based tactical artillery when fired on planned targets, officials noted.
Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike, they added. 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.[/FONT]

 

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[h=1]OIR Official: 'Conditions Have Been Set' for ISIS Defeat in Western Mosul[/h][FONT=&quot]By Lisa FerdinandoDoD News, Defense Media Activity[/FONT]

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[FONT=&quot]WASHINGTON, Feb. 22, 2017 — Iraqi forces are advancing into western Mosul and making steady gains in efforts to liberate the area from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, the spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve said today.


An Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon refuels from a 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron KC-135 Stratotanker during operations in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, Feb. 15, 2017. The 340th EARS extended the fight against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria terrorists by delivering fuel to Air Force F-16s, A-10 Thunderbolt II’s and a B-52 Stratofortress. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jordan Castelan

The ISIS-controlled area is "shrinking steadily with each passing day," Air Force Col. John Dorrian told Pentagon reporters in a news briefing from Baghdad.
"The main effort is to isolate the remaining enemy remnants in the west part of Mosul," he said, noting the terrorists will "either surrender or they're going to be killed there."
Iraqi forces have encountered moderate resistance in their approach, Dorrian said.
The coalition continues to pound ISIS targets in precision strikes, destroying 23 ISIS mortar and artillery pieces in the first three days of operation, he said. That is setting the conditions for Iraqi forces to retake the Mosul airport and begin moving toward more dense urban terrain, the colonel said.
Video Player

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VIDEO | 00:40 | Iraqi Forces Advance Into West Mosul

"Conditions have been set for ISIS's defeat through their significant effort to reduce their command and control, their weapons and their financial resources," Dorrian said.
'Extraordinarily Difficult Fight' Expected
He commended the Iraqi forces for their progress, but noted they have a number of challenges ahead of them. Those challenges include the tedious and extremely dangerous task of clearing each of the more than 100,000 buildings in west Mosul, Dorrian said.
The narrow streets in the oldest parts of the city will make it difficult for the Iraqis to move their vehicles, he said, but that also means the terrorists will not be able to move vehicle-borne explosive devices.
"We do expect it to be an extraordinarily difficult fight," Dorrian said.
Removing ISIS Leaders From Battlefield
Part of efforts to defeat the terrorists is to "take every opportunity that we can to remove ISIS leadership figures from the battlefield," he said.
A coalition precision airstrike Feb. 13 in Mosul killed Haqi Ismail Hamid al Emri, a legacy al-Qaida in Iraq member who had a leadership role in ISIS security networks in Mosul, Dorrian said.
Additionally, he said, precision strikes in January in Mosul killed Abu Abbas al Qurayshi, who coordinated the movement of vehicle bombs and suicide bombers inside Iraq; and Abdullah Yasin Sulaymani al Jaburi, who was responsible for anti-aircraft defense assets within Mosul.
ISIS Feels Pressure in Raqqa
Syrian Democratic Forces continue advancing from the north and east of the key Syrian city of Raqqa, Dorrian said.
Coalition partners on the ground in Syria have liberated more than 300 square miles and more than 100 villages since Feb. 4, when they began reclaiming and clearing the land east of the city, he said.
"We're now seeing signs that ISIS fighters [and] its leaders in Raqqa are beginning to feel the pressure," he said.
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VIDEO | 00:35 | ISIS Feeling the Pressure

They are becoming "increasingly paranoid" and have intensified measures to control the population and destroy televisions, mobile phones and satellite dishes in order to maintain control of access to information about their losses, he said.
"These are not the actions of an enemy who feel they're winning," Dorrian explained.
In addition, he said there are reports of ISIS executing fighters who try to abandon the fight or are suspected of collaborating with forces trying to liberate the city. ISIS leaders are also reportedly moving their own families out of Raqqa, but detaining civilians who attempt to flee, Dorrian said.
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[h=1]Military Strikes Continue Against ISIS in Syria, Iraq[/h][FONT=&quot]From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release[/FONT]

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[FONT=&quot]SOUTHWEST ASIA, Feb. 23, 2017 — U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.



Officials reported details of yesterday’s strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.
Strikes in Syria
Coalition military forces conducted 24 strikes consisting of 32 engagements against ISIS targets in Syria:
-- Near Abu Kamal, three strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed four oil refinement stills and a vehicle.
-- Near Bab, four strikes engaged three ISIS tactical units and destroyed a vehicle-borne bomb.
-- Near Shadaddi, three strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed four fighting positions and an ISIS headquarters.
-- Near Raqqa, seven strikes engaged three ISIS tactical units and an ISIS staging area and destroyed three pump jacks, a command-and-control node, a fighting position and a tactical vehicle.
-- Near Tanf, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed two tactical vehicles.
-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, three strikes destroyed seven oil separation tanks, and oil wellhead, an oil tanker truck and an oil inlet manifold.
-- Near Palmyra, two strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed four tactical vehicles.
-- Near Tamakh, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a tactical vehicle.
Strikes in Iraq
Coalition military forces conducted 14 strikes consisting of 62 engagements against ISIS targets in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:
-- Near Beiji, three strikes engaged three ISIS tactical units; destroyed a tactical vehicle and a heavy machine gun; and suppressed a mortar team.
-- Near Mosul, five strikes engaged four ISIS tactical units; destroyed three mortar systems, two ISIS-held buildings, two vehicle-bomb factories, a supply cache, a fighting position, a front-end loader, an excavator, a dump truck, a generator trailer, a weapons cache and a vehicle; damaged 15 supply routes and three tunnels; and suppressed 17 mortar teams and an artillery team.
-- Near Qayyarah, a strike destroyed a weapons cache.
-- Near Rawah, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed three ISIS-held building and a vehicle.
-- Near Tal Afar, four strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and an ISIS staging area and destroyed two weapons caches, a vehicle-borne bomb, a front-end loader, an improvised-bomb factory and an ISIS-held building.
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 some ground-based tactical artillery when fired on planned targets, officials noted.
Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike, they added. 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.[/FONT]

 

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[FONT=&quot]Smoke billows as Iraqi forces attack Mosul airport during an offensive to retake the western side of the city from jihadists of the Islamic State group. Iraqi forces entered Mosul airport, which lies on the southern edge of the city, for the first time since the Islamic State group overran the region in 2014. Control of the base and airport would set government forces up to enter Mosul neighbourhoods on the west bank of the Tigris, a month after declaring full control of the east bank.
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• Strike on ISIS Drone Unit Highlights Novel Intelligence Methods - Oriana Pawlyk
  A U.S. airman in Virginia spotted a piece of intelligence thousands of miles away. Ten days later, U.S. planes bombed 11 sites in the Middle East where American military officials say Islamic State militants manufactured deadly drones.
  Air Force Lt. Gen. VeraLinn Jamieson, the service's deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, said in an interview at the Pentagon on Thursday that Senior Airman Jean was able to maneuver her way through the data in large part because of her training in critical analysis and observation. The airman was working on intelligence from drones and spy planes when she spotted an anomaly. As a result, more than 10 facilities with parts of small drones controlled by ISIS were destroyed because "of one senior airman identifying a signal," Jamieson said. (Military.com)

 

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• Strike on ISIS Drone Unit Highlights Novel Intelligence Methods - Oriana Pawlyk
  A U.S. airman in Virginia spotted a piece of intelligence thousands of miles away. Ten days later, U.S. planes bombed 11 sites in the Middle East where American military officials say Islamic State militants manufactured deadly drones.
  Air Force Lt. Gen. VeraLinn Jamieson, the service's deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, said in an interview at the Pentagon on Thursday that Senior Airman Jean was able to maneuver her way through the data in large part because of her training in critical analysis and observation. The airman was working on intelligence from drones and spy planes when she spotted an anomaly. As a result, more than 10 facilities with parts of small drones controlled by ISIS were destroyed because "of one senior airman identifying a signal," Jamieson said. (Military.com)

 

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[h=1]'Encouraging Initial Successes' for Western Mosul, DoD Official Says[/h][FONT=&quot]By Lisa FerdinandoDoD News, Defense Media Activity[/FONT]

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[FONT=&quot]WASHINGTON, Feb. 24, 2017 — Iraqi forces, backed by coalition strikes, are making gains in efforts to liberate western Mosul from Islamic State of Iraq and Syria terrorists, Defense Department spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters at the Pentagon today.


Iraqi soldiers practice weapon safety during urban environment training at Camp Taji, Iraq, Feb. 20, 2017. The soldiers were part of the junior leader course led by coalition forces in support of Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve. Army photo by Spc. Christopher Brecht

"The [Iraqis] have captured villages to the west of Mosul and they have penetrated the formal city limits from the south," he said, adding, "We've seen some encouraging initial successes."
About 75 percent of the Ghazlani military base southwest of Mosul has been secured, he said. In addition, Iraqi forces have a "strong foothold" on liberating the Mosul airport, Davis said. The Iraqis have cleared terrain to the south and west of Mosul, he said, gaining 24 square miles within the last day, for a total of 100 square miles since the offensive began five days ago.
The captain pointed out the total territory gained since Oct. 17, when the battle for Mosul began, is about 1,500 square miles. That figure includes recently cleared eastern Mosul, he said.
Tough Fight Expected
Resistance around western Mosul is "moderate," Davis said, with the terrorists using improvised explosive devices and indirect fire to "harass and slow down" Iraqi forces. The terrorists have pulled back into west Mosul, he said, noting that the coalition expects a "very challenging fight," since ISIS is entrenched in the area.
"That's dense urban terrain, more dense than what we saw in east Mosul in a place where they are well-dug in," the captain said.
Meanwhile, Iraqi forces continue defensive holding operations in eastern Mosul, he said, and the coalition continues to hit ISIS targets around Mosul. In the past 24 hours, Davis said, coalition forces conducted six strikes in a total of 80 engagements. Targets included ISIS tactical units, mortar systems, rocket launchers, anti-air artillery systems, fighting positions, vehicles and weapons caches, he said.
Syria Update
Coalition efforts are ongoing to support efforts to isolate the Syrian city of Raqqa, and operations for the city of Bab, Davis said.
Bab "does appear to be largely liberated," he said, explaining the Turkish military and vetted Syrian opposition forces are conducting operations in the vicinity of the city.
Yesterday, the 112th day of operations to isolate Raqqa, Syrian Arab coalition forces conducted offensive operations northeast of that key city, Davis said.
Those efforts resulted in the clearing of large swaths of terrain along two axes and the taking of 67 square miles, he said, along with the liberation of several villages.
30-Day Plan to the President
The Pentagon will meet Monday's deadline for the 30-day review that President Donald J. Trump ordered about the plan to fight ISIS, Davis said.
As the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, highlighted Thursday, the review is a "whole of government plan that deals holistically with ISIS," he said.
Davis described the plan as a "framework for a broader plan." However, he said, details of the strategy will remain private, explaining it is a "plan to attack an enemy and I don’t think we're going to want to telegraph too much of
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[h=1]Inherent Resolve Strikes Target ISIS in Syria, Iraq[/h][FONT=&quot]From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release[/FONT]

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[FONT=&quot]SOUTHWEST ASIA, Feb. 24, 2017 — U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.



Officials reported details of yesterday’s strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.
Strikes in Syria
Coalition military forces conducted 28 strikes consisting of 36 engagements in Syria:
-- Near Abu Kamal, two strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed four oil separation tanks.
-- Near Bab, a strike destroyed a tank.
-- Near Shadaddi, six strikes engaged four ISIS tactical units; and destroyed three fighting positions, two vehicles, a storage shed, a tactical vehicle and a weapons storage facility.
-- Near Raqqa, 17 strikes engaged three ISIS tactical units and an ISIS staging area; and destroyed three pumpjacks, a command-and-control node, a fighting position and a tactical vehicle.
-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, a strike destroyed six oil tanker trucks.
-- Near Palmyra, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a tactical vehicle.
Strikes in Iraq
Coalition military forces conducted eight strikes consisting of 84 engagements in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:
-- Near Mosul, six strikes engaged five ISIS tactical units; destroyed eight mortar systems, six fighting positions, three vehicles, three weapons caches, two supply caches, two vehicle bombs, two vehicle bomb facilities, an ISIS-held building, a rocket-propelled grenade system, an anti-air artillery system, a light machine gun, an explosives factory, an unmanned aerial vehicle factory and an armoring factory; damaged 18 supply routes and six tunnels; and suppressed 33 mortar teams and an ISIS tactical unit.
-- Near Rawah, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit.
-- Near Sinjar, a strike destroyed an unmanned aerial vehicle launch site and a vehicle bomb.
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 some ground-based tactical artillery when fired on planned targets, officials noted.
Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike, they added. 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.
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[h=1]Counter-ISIS Strikes Continue in Syria, Iraq[/h]From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

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SOUTHWEST ASIA, Feb. 25, 2017 — U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
Officials reported details of yesterday’s strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.
Strikes in Syria
Coalition military forces conducted 12 strikes consisting of 30 engagements against ISIS targets in Syria:
-- Near Shadaddi, five strikes engaged four ISIS tactical units and destroyed three fighting positions, two vehicles, an ISIS headquarters, a storage facility and a vehicle-borne bomb.
-- Near Raqqa, five strikes destroyed an artillery system, a mortar system, a rocket system, a watercraft, a weapons storage facility and a chemical weapons facility.
-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, a strike destroyed two oil wellheads.
-- Near Palmyra, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle and a tactical vehicle.
Strikes in Iraq
Coalition military forces conducted nine strikes consisting of 95 engagements against ISIS targets in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:
-- Near Huwayjah, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a heavy machine gun and a logistics node.
-- Near Qaim, a strike destroyed a homemade explosives cache and a vehicle-bomb factory.
-- Near Beiji, two strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed five ISIS-held buildings, three vehicles, a fighting position and a front-end loader.
-- Near Mosul, five strikes engaged three ISIS tactical units and an ISIS sniper unit; destroyed nine fighting positions, eight mortar systems, five ISIS-held buildings, four command-and-control nodes, three vehicle-bomb facilities, three tactical vehicles, two vehicles, two artillery systems, two anti-air artillery systems, a rocket-propelled grenade system, an unmanned-aerial-vehicle storage facility, a front-end loader, a vehicle-bomb staging area and a supply cache; damaged 12 supply routes and four ISIS-held buildings; and suppressed 22 mortars and an artillery system.
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 some ground-based tactical artillery when fired on planned targets, officials noted.
Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike, they added. 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.








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[h=1]U.S., Coalition Continue Strikes Against ISIS[/h][FONT=&quot]From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release[/FONT]

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[FONT=&quot]SOUTHWEST ASIA, Feb. 26, 2017 — U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
Officials reported details of yesterday’s strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.
Strikes in Syria
Coalition military forces conducted 18 strikes consisting of 24 engagements against ISIS targets in Syria:
-- Near Shadaddi, a strike destroyed a vehicle-borne bomb.
-- Near Raqqa, three strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle, a tactical vehicle and a mortar system.
-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, seven strikes destroyed six oil wellheads, an oil tanker truck and a front-end loader.
-- Near Palmyra, seven strikes engaged two ISIS staging areas and an ISIS tactical unit; destroyed five storage units, three tanks, two vehicles, an oil storage tank, a pump jack and an ISIS-held building; and damaged two oil storage tanks.
Strikes in Iraq
Coalition military forces conducted 23 strikes consisting of 84 engagements against ISIS targets in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:
-- Near Huwayjah, a strike destroyed an ISIS headquarters.
-- Near Beiji, seven strikes engaged five ISIS tactical units and destroyed five vehicles, two ISIS compounds and a tunnel entrance.
-- Near Kisik, two strikes destroyed an ISIS headquarters and an ISIS-held building.
-- Near Mosul, seven strikes engaged four ISIS tactical units; destroyed 15 fighting positions, 11 mortar systems, three vehicles, three weapons caches, two ISIS-held buildings, two vehicle-borne bombs, a sniper position, an ISIS headquarters, two heavy machine guns, an artillery system, an unmanned-aerial-vehicle staging area and a supply cache; and suppressed 14 mortar teams, two ISIS tactical units, an artillery team and a rocket-propelled-grenade team.
-- Near Tal Afar, six strikes destroyed four ISIS headquarters, a vehicle and a tactical vehicle.
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 some ground-based tactical artillery when fired on planned targets, officials noted.
Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike, they added. 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.[/FONT]

 

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[h=1]Officials Provide Details of Latest Strikes in Syria, Iraq[/h][FONT=&quot]From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release[/FONT]

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[FONT=&quot]SOUTHWEST ASIA, Feb. 27, 2017 — U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, 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.
Strikes in Syria
Coalition military forces conducted 14 strikes consisting of 21 engagements in Syria:
-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, four strikes destroyed five wellheads and an oil manifold.
-- Near Palmyra, two strikes destroyed six pumpjacks.
-- Near Raqqa, eight strikes engaged five ISIS tactical units and an ISIS staging area and destroyed four fighting positions, two ammo caches, a mortar system, a vehicle, a chemical weapons facility and an ISIS headquarters.
Strikes in Iraq
Coalition military forces conducted 10 strikes consisting of 80 engagements in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:
-- Near Kirkuk, two strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units, destroyed four ISIS-held buildings and damaged a tunnel.
-- Near Mosul, five strikes engaged four ISIS tactical units and two ISIS staging areas; destroyed eight fighting positions, six mortar systems, five vehicles, three vehicle bombs, two roadblocks, two ISIS-held buildings, two rocket-propelled grenade systems, two vehicle bomb facilities, two weapons caches, a tactical vehicle, a sniper position, a supply cache, a bulldozer and a tunnel entrance; damaged nine supply routes and a front-end loader; and suppressed 18 mortar teams and five ISIS tactical units.
-- Near Rawah, a strike destroyed a weapons cache and a supply cache.
-- Near Sinjar, two strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed eight tactical vehicles and two weapons storage facilities.
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 some ground-based tactical artillery when fired on planned targets, officials noted.
Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike, they added. 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.[/FONT]

 

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[FONT=&quot][h=1]US drone strike in Syria kills top al-Qaida leader, jihadis say[/h]

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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Abu al-Khayr al-Masri, a son-in-law of Osama bin Laden, was implicated in deadly 1998 African embassy bombings


[FONT=&quot]One of al-Qaida’s most senior leaders has been killed by a US drone strike in north-west [/FONT]Syria[FONT=&quot], jihadi leaders have said.


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[FONT=&quot]Abu al-Khayr al-Masri – who has been part of the global jihadi organisation for three decades and was a son-in-law of its founder, Osama bin Laden – was killed on Sunday when a missile fired from a drone hit the small car in which he was travelling. Masri had also been a close aide to al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, a fellow Egyptian.

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[FONT=&quot]On Monday, the Pentagon confirmed it had carried out a strike in north-west Syria, but did not say whom the attack had targeted. Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, the al-Qaida-inspired group that Masri had worked alongside in Syria, acknowledged the death, as did individual jihadi leaders.

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[FONT=&quot]Hisham al-Hashimi, a Baghdad-based writer on Islamic groups, said Masri’s death was a serious blow to al-Qaida. “His death is no less significant than that of Bin Laden [who was killed by a US raid in Pakistan in May 2011],” Hashimi said. “He was the ideological leader of the group in Iraq, Syria and Yemen and the number two in the organisation overall.”

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[FONT=&quot]In 2005, the US government identified Masri as a terrorist associate and said he “was responsible for coordinating al-Qaida’s work with other terrorist organisations”. He has been implicated in the 1998 bombings of two US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya in which more than 200 people, mostly civilians, died.

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[FONT=&quot]The 59-year-old was killed by a drone strike on a car in Idlib, Syria, according to local reports. Middle East Institute scholar Charles Lister, a leading Washington-based analyst of the Syrian conflict, linked on Twitter to video said to be from the scene of the strike.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]In an email to the Guardian, Lister said: “As the deputy leader of al-Qaida globally, the reported death of Abu al-Khayr al-Masri in Syria is the biggest blow to al-Qaida since the killing of Nasir al-Wuhayshi in Yemen in June 2015.

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[FONT=&quot]“As a long-time member of al-Qaida’s central Shura council and one of Ayman al-Zawahiri’s closest long-time confidants, Abu al-Khayr was jihadi royalty, meaning his death will almost certainly necessitate some form of response, whether from Syria or elsewhere in the world.”

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[FONT=&quot]The killing of an unusually high-profile al-Qaida figure is likely to be hailed by the Trump administration as an important national security victory. The president has come under harsh criticism after a Navy Seal was killed in an unevenly executed assault in Yemen last month.

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[FONT=&quot]Masri, also known as Ahmad Hasan Abu al Khayr, fought alongside Bin Laden in Afghanistan and spent more than a decade in detention in Iran. According to the Long War Journal, which tracks the movement of jihadis, he was released in 2015 in exchange for an Iranian diplomat who had been kidnapped in Yemen.

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[FONT=&quot]He then travelled to Syria, belatedly linking up with an advance guard of al-Qaida heavyweights who had been sent by senior leaders in late-2013. Al-Qaida had intended to use the chaos of the Syrian war to establish a new sphere of influence. US and British intelligence agencies believe it developed close links with the Nusra front, as well as forming an independent organisation, named Khorasan, which plotted attacks in Europe and beyond.

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[FONT=&quot]Masri was a veteran of jihadi conflicts in Egypt, Bosnia, Afghanistan and Pakistan, Lister said, adding: “[He] was the terrorist group’s key intermediary with its affiliates and other jihadi groups across the world. His marriage to one of Osama bin Laden’s daughters placed him at the beating heart of al-Qaida early on.”

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[FONT=&quot]Masri travelled to Syria to support the Nusra front, analysts said. The two groups claimed to split in July 2016 when the Nusra front changed its name to Jabhat Fatah al-Sham – a move dismissed by US officials as a rebranding effort. In a video broadcast to followers, Masri announced the split on behalf of Zawahiri.

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[FONT=&quot]Masri’s presence in Syria was identified by Lister in a May 2016 piece describing the transfer by al-Qaida of a number of highly influential jihadi figures from its central leadership circles into Syria.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]The immediate circumstances of Masri’s death were unclear. Video online showed a tan four-door Kia sedan destroyed at a roadside with a large hole in its canopy but its windscreen mostly intact. The location of the attack was unusually far west for a US drone strike.

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[FONT=&quot]The US government designated Masri to be an al-Qaida associate in October 2005. He was born Abdullah Muhammad Rajab abd al-Rahman in Kafr al-Shaykh, Egypt, on 3 November 1957, according to the US Treasury Department.

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[FONT=&quot]Reports of the killing emerged two days before Trump is scheduled to speak to a joint session of Congress, in the first major policy address of his presidency.

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[FONT=&quot]The news came as the Trump administration came under criticism from the father of the Navy Seal killed in a raid in Yemen last month. Bill Owens demanded an investigation into what he called a “stupid mission” that killed his son, William “Ryan” Owens.[/FONT]

 

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[h=1]U.S., Coalition Strikes Continue Against ISIS in Syria, Iraq[/h][FONT=&quot]From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release[/FONT]

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[FONT=&quot]SOUTHWEST ASIA, Feb. 28, 2017 — U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, 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.
Strikes in Syria
Coalition military forces conducted 15 strikes consisting of 18 engagements in Syria:
-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, four strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed nine oil refinement stills, two barges, a watercraft, a vehicle and an oil tanker truck.
-- Near Palmyra, two strikes destroyed five tanks.
-- Near Raqqa, nine strikes engaged four ISIS tactical units and destroyed two wellheads, two fighting positions, an oil storage tank, an ISIS-held building, an ISIS headquarters, a tunnel, a vehicle and a vehicle bomb.
Strikes in Iraq
Coalition military forces conducted 16 strikes consisting of 81 engagements in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:
-- Near Baghdad, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed an ISIS-held building.
-- Near Mosul, five strikes engaged four ISIS tactical units and an ISIS staging area; destroyed seven mortar systems, four vehicles, four fighting positions, three ISIS-held buildings, two anti-air systems, two rocket-propelled grenade systems, two vehicle bombs, a supply cache, a vehicle bomb facility and an unmanned aircraft control station; damaged six tunnels and six supply routes; and suppressed 21 mortar teams and an ISIS tactical unit.
-- Near Qaim, 10 strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed two vehicle bomb factories, two ISIS media facilities, an improvised explosive device factory, a weapons storage facility, an anti-air artillery system, a vehicle, a fuel storage tank, an ISIS staging facility and an ISIS financial facility.
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 some ground-based tactical artillery when fired on planned targets, officials noted.
Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike, they added. 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.[/FONT]

 

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[h=1]Military Strikes Continue Against ISIS Terrorists in Syria, Iraq[/h][FONT=&quot]From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release[/FONT]

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[FONT=&quot]SOUTHWEST ASIA, March 1, 2017 — U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, 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.
Strikes in Syria
Coalition military forces conducted 11 strikes consisting of 15 engagements in Syria:
-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, seven strikes destroyed seven oil refinement stills, four wellheads, a pumpjack and a crane and damaged a bridge.
-- Near Raqqa, four strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed six watercraft, an ISIS training camp and an ISIS maintenance facility.
Strikes in Iraq
Coalition military forces conducted 10 strikes consisting of 71 engagements in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:
-- Near Beiji, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed four bunkers, a weapons cache and a vehicle bomb.
-- Near Mosul, five strikes engaged three ISIS tactical units; destroyed nine mortar systems, six fighting positions, five vehicle bomb facilities, three supply caches, three ISIS-held buildings, three vehicle bombs and an improvised weapons factory; damaged six supply routes; and suppressed 14 mortar teams and two ISIS tactical units.
-- Near Qaim, two strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle and a tactical vehicle.
-- Near Tal Afar, two strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle, a weapons cache and a recoilless rifle.
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 some ground-based tactical artillery when fired on planned targets, officials noted.
Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike, they added. 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.[/FONT]

 

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[h=1]Iraqi Forces Retake Mosul Airport, Inherent Resolve Commander Says[/h][FONT=&quot]By Terri Moon CronkDoD News, Defense Media Activity[/FONT]

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[FONT=&quot]WASHINGTON, March 1, 2017 — Iraqi security forces have taken back Mosul International Airport in Iraq after a couple days of difficult fighting to liberate western Mosul from control of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, the commander of Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve said today.


An Iraqi counterterrorism service convoy moves from Baghdad toward Mosul, Iraq, as part of the effort to liberate Mosul from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, Feb. 23, 2017. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Alex Manne

Speaking to Pentagon reporters via teleconference from Baghdad, Army Lt. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend said Iraqi forces attacked the city’s west side northward along the Tigris River, where they captured high ground, enabling them to move quickly to the airport.
Moving to Mosul’s Outskirts
“Now, they've begun breaching into the outskirts of the city, with the Iraqi counterterrorism service, federal police and army moving along three axes of advance that clear the enemy from neighborhoods inside the city, but also enveloping the city to the west,” the general said, adding that presenting multiple dilemmas to the enemy proved to be effective.
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VIDEO | 00:30 | Inherent Resolve Commander Updates Reporters

“This enemy’s been preparing for this battle for some time, and they've done an extensive amount of work to dig and build barriers to complicate the Iraqi advance,” Townsend said. “We've seen them use … tunnels, shipping containers and vehicles in the streets to slow the [Iraqi forces] down, and they've rigged many of these barriers with explosives.”
The U.S.-led coalition strikes those barriers with precision fire to help the Iraqis advance, Townsend said. “We'll also continue to remove leadership figures from the battlefield, attack their command-and-control and logistics nodes, enemy weapons caches and fighting positions. Our coalition of advisors [is] also with the Iraqi command elements. Their support accelerates the Iraqi advance even more.”
Bab Liberation Strikes Blow to ISIS
ISIS has been dealt another significant blow in Syria, where Syrian Democratic Forces have liberated Bab, the last significant ISIS-controlled population center in the Aleppo district, Townsend said, noting that freeing Bab closed the door to ISIS’ supply line of new fighters and its ability to export terrorists around the world.
“The coalition supported Turkey and their partner-force efforts in al-Bab with more than 50 airstrikes, taking fighters off the battlefield, destroying [vehicle-borne homemade bombs], mortar and artillery pieces and denying the enemy use of dozens of vehicles, buildings, excavation equipment and weapons caches,” he said. The liberation of Bab also means Turkey now has secured its border from ISIS, the general noted.
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VIDEO | 00:33 | General Reports on Counter-ISIS Effort in Syrian City

The United States, Turkey and coalition partners also are working together to support stabilization and local civilian governance in the Syrian town of Manbij, Townsend noted. “The coalition is committed to the security of Turkey and will continue to work in close coordination with partner forces and allies to deliver a lasting defeat to ISIS, which remains the greatest terrorist threat to the region and the world,” he added.
Freeing Raqqa Expected To Cripple ISIS
The coalition continues planning for the eventual liberation of Raqqa, ISIL's self-proclaimed capital, Townsend told reporters. “We are confident that the [Syrian Democratic Forces] that are isolating Raqqa will continue their recent successful clearance operations and set the stage for the liberation of the city. This would be a major setback for the enemy,” Townsend said.
Friendly forces have cleared more than 6,000 square kilometers of territory -- or nearly 2,317 square miles -- in the countryside of Raqqa since the operation began Nov. 5, he added.
“We've continued discussing how Turkey and their partner forces might contribute to the liberation of the city,” Townsend acknowledged. “The liberation of Raqqa will bring an end to the enemy's mythology that they were ever more than a brutal, murderous terrorist group. And then, we will continue working with our partners to deal them a lasting defeat,” he said.
Coalition efforts by, with and through partners in Iraq and Syria have made significant progress, the general said.
“I continue to be encouraged by the bravery and commitment of our partner forces that have fought hard and made many sacrifices in their efforts to liberate their land,” Townsend said. “Their efforts protect the people of Iraq, Syria, the region and the world from a threat that needs to be eliminated for the good of all.”
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