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Captain Thomas

Coalition campaign cripples terror group

MANAMA, March 31, 2015

The US Navy says a five-month air strike campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria is showing results, but so far only a quarter of the territory once controlled by militants in Iraq has been won back.

The Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication, was given exclusive access to the American aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, which is spearheading the multi-national operation, to meet those leading the aerial assault.

MORE than 5,000 Islamic State (IS) targets in Syria and Iraq have so far been destroyed by air strikes conducted by an international coalition, which includes Bahrain and its GCC neighbours, according to the US Navy.

The targets include fighters, training camps, tanks and oilfields that were generating income for the militant group, which seized large swathes of territory spanning the Syria-Iraq border during a bloody campaign last year.

They were taken out as part of a US-led operation that has been mainly conducted from the Arabian Gulf and has so far cost around $1.83 billion, or $8.5 million per day.

Operation Inherent Resolve commenced last August and since October most sorties have been launched from American aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, targeting Kobani in Syria and Tikrit, Fallujah, Mosul and other areas in Iraq.

The San Diego-based warship, which operates from the Northern Gulf, has been the launchpad for more than two thirds of the 3,000-plus missions conducted by the US alone.

“The US has launched more than 3,000 missions (since August), which is evenly split between Iraq and Syria, and around 2,100 of these air strikes were being carried out from this ship,” said USS Carl Vinson commanding officer Captain Karl Thomas.

“Some of them were strike fighters carrying bombs, while other missions were to support aircraft in this operation.”

Latest figures from US Naval Central Command state the international coalition of more than 60 countries has so far struck 5,314 IS targets in Iraq and Syria.

This includes 73 tanks, 282 Humvees, 408 staging areas, 736 IS buildings, more than 1,000 fighting positions and 87 oil collection points.

Captain Thomas suggested the result had been a significant reduction in the militant group's capabilities.

“Last summer, when ISIL (another name used to describe IS) came into Syria they were able to move throughout the county and were on the offensive,” said Captain Thomas.

“They are not on the offensive today and have couple of strongholds and few cities including Mosul, which they are holding and trying to govern through establishing caliphates.

“The strikes we conducted have taken out their command and control units, vehicles, ability to sell oil on the black market, curb their flow of finance and (killed) plenty of their fighters.”

Anywhere between 12 and 20 F-18 fighter jets from the USS Carl Vinson are taking part in air strikes on a daily basis, which US Navy personnel describe as flying 'over the beach' into Syrian and Iraqi airspace.

An average of 10 laser-guided or GPS-equipped bombs are being dropped on IS targets each day by American planes, according to an ammunition ordnance servicewoman, whose identity we have been asked to withhold.

Captain Thomas added that targets were being identified with help from intelligence units, including those on the ground.

“The bombs on those aircraft are what we call precision guided munitions, which are laser guided or have GPS guidance, which hit exactly where we want them to,” he said.

“The best assurance is that we wait until we have correct intelligence and don't just drop them on anything, unless we know it's the bad guys.”

The GDN was asked not to identify servicemen and women onboard the aircraft carrier after four USS Carl Vinson sailors were among 36 US Navy and Marine Corps personnel who appeared on an IS hit list.

A group calling itself the Islamic State Hacking Division claimed responsibility and urged its 'brothers residing in America' to kill those named.

The four sailors onboard USS Carl Vinson were said to have been 'shaken', but were continuing their duties as normal.

“It's an interesting information propaganda ploy by whoever created it and I am not to worried about it,” said Captain Thomas.

“We need to be smart and safe, which requires us to safeguard our information.”

Meanwhile, Rear Admiral and Commander of Carrier Strike Group One Christopher Grady predicted the campaign against IS was far from over.

“This campaign will continue for the coming years and our mission is to degrade and destroy ISIL, which we are doing successfully by hitting their targets,” he said.

“Initially they fought like an army and now they are fighting like a terrorist group with signs of dissension within its ranks.”

He estimated that IS had now lost around a quarter of the territory that it previously controlled in Iraq.

“We are supporting our Iraqi partners because they asked us for help and because of this major operation ISIL has lost around 25 per cent of the territory (in Iraq) where they used to move freely,” he said. - TradeArabia News Service




Tags: US | strike | campaign | Islamic | coalition | Air | state |

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