Defense

US Military Launched 45 Strikes Against ISIS In Last 2 Weeks

Joseph Lafave Contributor
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Units of the U.S. military and coalition partners operating in support of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) in Iraq and Syria are still battling and winning against ISIS.

During the two week period between July 2 and July 15, allied forces struck ISIS 58 times in 45 separate air and artillery strikes, dealing severe damage to several terrorist targets.

In Syria, the fighting is mainly concentrated near Abu Kamal, on the Iraq-Syria border, with some fighting also taking place in Al Shadaddi, in northeastern Syria. OIR forces destroyed ISIS tactical units, vehicles, and fighting positions, as well as ISIS controlled buildings, supply routes, logistics hubs, a headquarters complex, and an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).

On the other side of the border in Iraq, the strikes were conducted in several different areas including Al Hawijah, Al Qaim, Basheer, Diyala, Kisik, Makhmur, Rawah, and Tal Afar. ISIS-held buildings, tunnel complexes, fighting positions, a cave complex, several vehicles, and a supply route were all destroyed in the strikes.

These latest sorties are part of Operation Roundup, which is OIR’s latest push to drive out ISIS from the Levant permanently. Although the tempo of strikes has remained somewhat steady since Operation Roundup’s start in May of this year, part of the U.S. military’s total force in the region is set to return home.

According to a press release from U.S. Navy Adrimal Christopher Grady, commander of the U.S. Fleet Forces Command, “select units from the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) Carrier Strike Group (CSG) will return to Norfolk, Virginia, this week.”