US says territory controlled by Daesh has diminished by 65 percent

TDT | Manama    

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Report by Julia Cassano

The United States yesterday reaffirmed that Daesh no longer holds any territory, facing huge capability losses, as Iraqi and US forces continue to work together to defeat Daesh.

During a digital briefing discussing an update on the D-ISIS Mission, including outcomes of recent Joint Security Cooperation Dialogue between the US and Iraq, CJTF-OIR Commander Major General Matthew McFarlane stated, “We continue to see a decrease in Daesh attacks yearly.This year, we have witnessed over 65 per cent decrease in attacks from last year. This last Ramadan was the most peaceful Ramadan in recent history, and Daesh continues to degrade, not just in attacks, but in all measurable categories like finances and numbers.”

However, General McFarlane pointed out that there are still radical fighters out there that aspire to reemerge and rebuild the caliphate.

“We work very closely with our Iraqi counterparts and share intelligence to ensure we address any possible threats that emerge from ISIS fights, while also working to address long-term efforts like repatriation.” he stated.

During Commander McFarlane’s opening remarks, he highlighted that the joint security cooperation dialogue reaffirmed both the US’s and Iraq’s commitment to the bilateral security operation and shared interests in regional stability.

“This was a historical event and a key milestone in the US and the government of Iraq’s security cooperation relations. From a military perspective, those in attendance reaffirmed that US forces in Iraq are here in a non-combat role at the invitation of the Iraqi government to advise, assist, and enable the Iraqi security forces in their fight against Daesh,” he highlighted.

Over the last few years, the Iraqi security forces have made tremendous strides in defeating Daesh and continuing their efforts to prevent the reemergence of Daesh.

While Daesh has been defeated militarily, the US acknowledges that their dangerous ideology remains a threat and they continue to conspire to regain some type of military capacity.

“Many regional challenges remain such as the urgent need to repatriate displaced persons and Daesh detainees currently in north east Syria to their countries of origin and to support reintegration efforts in the local communities.”

Answering a question about the Iranian influence in Iraq, the commander said, “Myself and the coalition here are focused on the defeat of Daesh.

We will not let other actors in the region pull us away from that or distract us from our mission on the defeat of Daesh.

We remain conscious of other threats in Iraq and Syria that wish to do us harm, but we are proactive at defending our forces to ensure we can remain focused on this mission.”

Russian aircraft in Syria “Their unsafe and unprofessional acts are unwelcome and put both forces at risk.

We continue to remain focused on defeating Daesh, as it seems like others focus more on us, rather than fighting terrorism.

We are focused on coalition-controlled areas and stability, and we support our partners in their efforts to ensure Daesh does not remerge,” General McFarlane said.

Highlighting the Iraqi forces efforts and capacity he stated, “The Iraqi forces have made great strides as they are building capabilities such as ISR and targeting, and we have seen over the last year them conducting independent operations using Iraqi capabilities to find, fix, and finish Daesh.”