Forces
fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant continue to make progress in
Iraq and Syria, the Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman said today.
"We're
starting to see changes in the way ISIL operates every day on the ground here.
That doesn’t mean this is over. We're a long way from over," Army Col.
Steve Warren said.
Speaking
to Pentagon reporters via teleconference from Baghdad, Warren said indigenous
ground forces continue to consolidate gains across the battlefield.
"We're
seeing the impacts of our operations to defeat ISIL," he said.
Vetted
Syrian opposition forces and New Syrian Forces successfully seized the towns of
Harjala and Dalha after a tough fight last week, he said.
"This
is important because it’s the first successful offensive operation since June
along the Mar'a line," he noted.
Weakening Vehicle Bomb Effectiveness
Warren
said the effectiveness of vehicle bombs used by ISIL is at five percent.
He said
Iraqi forces have improved their ability in identifying and destroying such
bombs, and targeted strikes by coalition and Iraqi aircraft have destroyed vehicle
bomb factories.
"Taking
out their oil today won't necessarily make something change tomorrow, but it
will make something change downstream," he said. "But hitting these ...
factories, we are seeing an impact."
There
are fewer vehicle bombs on the battlefield, Warren said. The ones that remain are
not well-made and will often self-detonate before they reach their target, he
said.
"They're
softer for us, so they're easier for us to kill, or for the [Iraqi security
forces] to kill," the colonel said.
U.S. Takes Out Bridge, Oil Tankers
On
Nov.18 in Ramadi, U.S. forces struck a bridge that was the primary route used
by ISIL to send vehicle bombs to attack Iraqi forces south of the city, he
said.
"As
you'll see here in a moment, ISIL can no longer use this road to attack the [Iraqi
forces]," he said, before showing a video of an American airstrike taking
out the bridge.
In
Syria, on Nov. 22, U.S. airstrikes destroyed 283 oil tanker trucks, he said.
That mission was part of Operation Tidal Wave, which is targeting ISIL's
illicit oil activity. “These trucks are an integral link in the revenue stream
that is providing revenue ... to ... ISIL,” Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff
Davis said yesterday.
Ruthless Enemy, Changes in Battlefield
The changes
in the battlefield, Warren said, include a reduction of personnel at ISIL
checkpoints. That is an indication, he said, that perhaps ISIL can't get as
many people out to the posts and "maybe things aren't as good as they
could be in ISIL-land."
Other
changes, he said, include ISIL sending out civilians as bait to get Iraqi
Security Forces to respond.
Warren said
Iraqi forces in Ramadi observed 22 civilians trying to get away from the
fighting on Nov. 18.
"As
the civilians neared the [Iraqi forces], ISIL opened fire at the crowd. In the
process, they shot and wounded a nine-year-old, little boy," he said,
adding Iraqi forces safely evacuated the civilians. The boy was stabilized and
taken to a hospital.
It
appeared, Warren said, that ISIL was using the civilians as bait to get the Iraqi
forces to come out so they could fire on them.
"This
enemy has no regard for human decency, even for the people they claim to be
protecting under their so-called caliphate," he said.
Russia Plane Downed
Warren
said the Turkish government announced that two of its F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter
jets on border patrol engaged two Russian Su-24s, and one Russian aircraft was
shot down.
No
American personnel or planes were in the area, he said.
"This
was purely an action that took place between the Russians and the Turks," Warren
said.
It is
not an issue that involves the Combined Joint Task Force or Operation Inherent
Resolve, he added.
Russia Involvement
Warren
dismissed Russia's recent claim that it destroyed 500 fuel tankers used to
transport ISIL's illicit oil.
"We
took a look at the reports. We saw the video they released," he said.
"From what we saw, the battle damage assessment they issued seems to us to
be exaggerated."
Russian
actions, Warren said, are at odds with what Russian officials said they wanted
to accomplish in Syria.
"It
flies directly in the face of what they said they would do. They have said that
they are here to help fight ISIL. In fact, they're here striking moderate
Syrian opposition groups," he said.
Only a fraction of Russian attacks targeted ISIL, he said.
"The Russians have said that they're here to fight
terrorism, but the Russians have routinely now demonstrated that their goal is
to prop up and prolong the Assad regime," he said.
A majority of Russian strikes, he said, have had a direct
benefit to the Assad regime.
"It's the Assad regime, in our view, that's the problem
here," Warren said. "It's the Assad regime that has brought suffering
and misery to the Syrian people, which in turn has led to the growth of ISIL
itself. It's the whole reason we're here."
(Follow Lisa Ferdinando on Twitter: @FerdinandoDoD)