No immediate increase in Syria anti-ISIS campaign
U.S. Defense Secretary said the coalition would conduct extra bombing runs against ISIS but only two strikes have been conducted
The U.S.-led coalition attacking ISIS militants showed no immediate sign of increasing strikes in Syria, figures released on Wednesday showed, even though the Pentagon chief has said America would intensify its campaign.
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on Tuesday said the coalition would conduct extra bombing runs against ISIS militants in Iraq and Syria, but only two strikes have been conducted in Syria the last six days.
The diminished tempo comes as Russia finishes the first month of its own Syria bombing campaign, and observers have suggested the U.S.-led coalition is worried about flying close to areas of Russian action.
The Pentagon has repeatedly denied this.
“It has nothing to do with the Russians, nothing whatsoever,” coalition spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said. “There has been a reduction in strikes, but it’s tied to operations. ... It’s really more about the ebb and flow of battle.”
As of Wednesday, coalition aircraft had carried out a total of 2,680 air strikes in Syria. The campaign started in June last year, and has also unleashed 7,712 strikes in Iraq.
Pentagon figures show the coalition launched 359 air strikes in July. The number dropped to 206 in August, then just 115 in September.
There have only been 92 this month; the most recent two of these were against relatively low-value targets: an ISIS vehicle and two mortars.
Carter said the coalition would support additional ground raids and air strikes, and focus on supporting rebels in Raqqa.
Also Read
-
Defense chief: U.S. to boost anti-ISIS attacks in Iraq, Syria
Ashton Carter said the United States will ramp up attacks on ISIS militants Middle East -
Pentagon expects more raids similar to Iraq rescue
A U.S.-backed military operation that freed 70 hostages who had been held by ISIS in Iraq produced a cache of intelligence Middle East -
Kurds say joint raid with U.S. in Iraq aimed to free their fighters
A U.S. commando was killed in the joint operation, he was the first to die in ground combat with ISIS Middle East -
ISIS oil field ruined, its Syria bastion bombed
ISIS received heavy strikes from the U.S.-led coalition and Russia, hitting its bastion in Raqqa and oil supplies in Deir Ezzor Middle East -
U.S. deploys ground-attack a-10 planes to Turkey
The 12 planes arrived over the weekend and have already been scheduled to fly missions in support of the U.S.-led coalition fighting ISIS Middle East -
U.S. ‘ready to drop’ weapons to Syria rebels
A U.S. official said that the U.S. military is poised to boost its supply runs to rebels fighting ISIS militants in northern Syria Middle East
