The White House said on Friday it will deploy several dozen U.S. Special Operations troops in Kurdish-controlled northeast Syria to advise and assist Kurdish security forces in an effort to break the military stalemate against the Islamic State. The special operators will also help gather battlefield intelligence and facilitate U.S.-led coalition airstrikes against Islamic State targets.
The U.S. will also deploy a dozen of A-10 attack aircraft and an equal number of F-15 fighter jets to Incirlik Air Base in Turkey near the Syrian border to support ground operations against ISIL. A key goal of the current plan is to help opposition and Kurdish security forces to cut supply lines and communications between Raqqa, Islamic State’s administrative capital in Syria, and Mosul, its self-declared capital in Iraq, as critical step to push ISIL out of both cities.
Meanwhile, farther south and west, Russian warplanes and Iran-led pro-regime forces under the command of Gen. Soleimani are engaged in a three-week-old offensive on multiple fronts against the opposition forces and ISIL around the city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest.
Photo credit: Fighting in the strategic town of Safira, 16 miles southeast of Aleppo, between Iran-led forces and ISIL; 31 October 2015 (Twitter)
The
Islamic State militants have cut off a crucial supply line for Iran-led pro-government
forces to the city of Aleppo late last week. The supply line through Safira,
Khanaser and Anthriya was the only way to access regime-held neighborhoods in
western Aleppo. The highway, however, remains highly contested, as it's the lifeline for the pro-regime forces. Sections of the main Damascus-Aleppo highway have been cut off
for more than three years. (The Wall Street Journal, 27 October) IRGC-led
pro-government forces, under the command of Gen. Soleimani, and supported by
Russian air force, launched offensives earlier this month against the
opposition forces south of Aleppo and ISIL to the east of Syria’s largest city.
The battles have been so fierce that so far the IRGC alone has lost more than 30 officers
and servicemen, including three general officers. In
the past few days, the fighting between pro-government forces and ISIL has been
under way around the town of Safira, 16 miles southeast of Aleppo, and farther
south in Anthriya and Khanaser. Some opposition reports indicate that ISILis close to enter Safira proper. On Monday, ISIL captured a regime checkpoint
on the stretch of the road between Anthriya and Khanaser. It
would be a major blow to pro-government forces if ISIL succeeds in holding on
to its advances along the supply line and disrupts it or much longer. (The Wall Street Journal, 27 October) Photo
credit: Syria’s pro-government forces on the eastern outskirts of Aleppo; 24
October 2015 (George Ourfalian/APF/Getty Images/WSJ)
Iran-led coalition of PMF forces, the Iraqi militias under the command of Iran’s Quds Force, and Iraqi security forces have reportedly recaptured Baiji city center today. Late last week, they took complete control of Baiji Refinery complex. The capture of Baiji city is a decisive victory for the Quds Force-led forces and will give them the opportunity to advance north toward Mosul.
Photo credit: Iran-led PMF/ISF forces walking in the city center of Baiji (@Conflicts/Twitter)
Open-source media imagery from the past few days of weaponry fielded by Iran-backed Populat Mobilization Forces, staging or advancing for Battle of Fallujah:
Iranian Falaq-2 based IRAMs aboard launcher vehicle, fielded by Iran-backed PMF
Iran-backed PMF flighter beside Iraqi Army M1A1M main battle tank, in the distance PMF IRAM launcher vehicles including two Iranian Falaq-2 based IRAMs.
T-72 main battle tank appearing in mixed formation with M1A1M main battle tank
Iran-backed PMF seen with opened ammo crates of 107 mm rockets and Iran-supplied Safir tactical vehicle equipped with MLRS. Note in the distance, Iraqi Army unit equipped with U.S.-supplied HMMWVs and ILAV Badger.
Iraqi PMF fighters assisted by U.S.-supplied up-armored HMMWV
Marking the one year anniversary of ISIL capturing and occupying Mosul during the 2014 Northern Iraq Offensive, PBS NewsHour presented a panel discussion on the subject [05:50]. The four panelists included former CIA Director Leon Panetta, former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Michèle Flournoy, former CENTCOM Commander Gen. Zinni (Ret.) and Professor Andrew Bacevich.
Near the conclusion of the panel discussion (accessible in the above embedded video), Bacevich advocates assisting Iran in that country’s efforts to defeat ISIL. Pointing to Panetta’s previous World War II analogy, Bacevich draws his own analogy to the historical example of the U.S. working with USSR in the war against Nazi Germany.
UPDATE: Announcements by the Iraqi defense ministry and Hash al-Shaabi (PMF) spokesmen were premature. The city of Baiji and the area surrounding it are not recaptured and remain contested.
Iran-led Shia militias with support from the Iraqi security forces have recaptured the city of Baiji. ISIL fighters withdrew from the city center on Sunday and were retreating toward Mosul while under intense air attack.
“We can announce that Baiji city is completely liberated and the Iraqi flag was raised over the governor building,” said Muhammed al-Eqbali, a spokesman for Hash al-Shaabi, the umbrella organization for the militias. (CNN, 7 June)
Brig. Gen. Tahseen Ibrahim, a spokesman for Iraqi defense ministry, confirmed the recapture of the city.
“Forces have cleansed and are in control of government complex, (Baiji) city center, Fatah mosque and surrounding neighborhoods,” Ibrahim said.
General Ibrahim also thanked U.S.-led coalition for “significant role” supporting Iraqi ground forces during the Baiji operation, without specifying what kind of support the forces received.
Liberation of Baiji city is a major defeat for the Islamic State and will pave the way for the control of nearby Baiji Oil Refinery and recapture of Ramadi. Photo credit: Shia militia and Iraqi security forces during their offensive to retake Baiji city. (Ahmad al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty Images)
The US-led
Coalition conducted 20 airstrikes in Iraq and four in Syria targeting ISIL
insurgents since early on Thursday, the Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF)
announced. (Reuters, 29 May)
In Iraq,
airstrikes carried out near Baiji, supporting the Iran-led coalition offensive
to retake the oil refinery, and in Ramadi, Fallujah, Baghdadi, Makhmur, Sinjar
and Tel Afar. In Syria, airstrikes hit targets near Al Hasakah and Kobani.
The
airstrikes were conducted between 8 a.m. on Thursday and 8 a.m. on Friday local
time, CJTF said. All aircraft returned to base safely.
Iran-led Shia militias accompanied by Iraqi security forces (ISF) are involved in heavy fighting today to retake the country’s largest oil refinery in Baiji. ISIL holds large section of the sprawling refinery complex.
“We stormed a building inside the Baiji refinery with the support of Hashid Shaabi [Iran-led Popular Mobilization Forces – PMF]. As you can see, we are inside the refinery now. God willing, within the coming few hours, we will liberate the whole refinery and the area outside the refinery with the help of Almighty God,” a member of Iraqi security forces told Al Jazeera TV. (Al Jazeera, 28 May)
Smoke could be seen as the PMF and ISF forces advanced toward the facility, Al Jazeera reported
PMF officials said earlier today that an area of 50km south of the town of Baiji has been retaken. Control of the refinery has been hotly contested for months. Iraqi forces have recaptured the refinery twice before, but lost it to ISIL. This time the Iran-led coalition forces are to recapture and hold the refinery. File photo: Smoke rising from Baiji Oil Refinery (CNN)
Iran-led
Shia militias are leading the fight to retake Ramadi from ISIL. The city fell
on 15 May after the Iraqi army fled the scene before the Islamic State fighters
arrived, even though the pro-government forces vastly outnumbered the
insurgents. Baghdad announced that some army units would accompany the militias
in the operation to liberate Ramadi.
“The
operation to liberate Anbar has started with the cooperation of the Iraqi Army
and the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF),” said Iraqi Defense Minister in a
statement broadcast on state television Tuesday, referring to the umbrella
organization for predominantly Iran-led Shia militias. (The New York Times, 26
May)
It was
not immediately clear if the PMF would accept continued United States airstrikes in the
area and close air support to the militia and Iraqi forces. In the last phase
of the Battle of Tikrit in late March, the Iranians pulled out from the battle to protest
Iraqi government’s decision to invite U.S. air support after the Iran-led
offensive had stalled for more than three weeks.
Note: In
an unfortunate sectarian move by the militias, the operation to liberate the
predominantly Sunni city of Ramadi was codenamed “Labbaik Ya Hossein,” (We Are Here for You, Ya Hossein), calling
for Imam Hossein, the revered Shia Imam, and a battle cry of Shias (against Sunnis). Sectarianism might win
battles against ISIL, including in Ramadi, but if the Iran-led coalition wants to
win the support of the Sunni populace and with it the war against Sunni
extremism, it cannot act in such divisive way. Extremists cannot be defeated by
extremism. Preserving the sovereignty of Iraq should be the goal, not what
happened in Karbala some 1,400 years ago.
Photo
credit: Shia militias during an operation at Baiji Oil Refinery; 25 May 2015
(Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP)
Fifty video stills in near order from a compilation video depicting an improvised, small unit armored force during last week's action in the Salaheddin Campaign. (Complete video at end of post.)
Iran-supplied T-72S tank alongside U.S.-supplied M1A1M tank, in combat action together during the Salaheddin Campaign
Iran-supplied T-72S main battle tank, thought to be operated by elements of the Iraqi Army
U.S.-supplied M1A1M main battle tank operated by elements of the Iraqi Army
U.S.-supplied M113A2 armored personnel carrier alongside Iran-supplied T-72S main battle tank. M113A2 shows markings of the 4-34 Mechanized Battalion, 9th Armored Division.
Iraqi Army Aviation Command (IqAAC) Eurocopter EC-635T-2 multi-purpose light helicopter
Caterpillar wheel loader operated as a combat engineering vehicle
Detail of M113A2 hull-side markings of the 4-34 Mechanized Battalion, 9th Armored Division
HMMWV alongside mixed elements of improvised mechanized infantry
Camouflage detail of improvised small unit force HMMWV
Caterpillar wheel loader operated as combat engineer vehicle
