The US-led coalition that is aiding Iraq and the Syrian Democratic Forces in the fight against ISIS has had to change how it does things amid the pandemic, but is dedicated to defeat ISIS, commander of Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve said Friday. Lt.-Gen. Pat White gave a briefing from Baghdad to discuss the role of the coalition in times of a health crises and amid challenges in faces in Iraq and Syria. Renewed concerns about a possible ISIS resurgence have emerged after ISIS claimed 151 attacks last month and has been carrying out almost nightly attacks in Iraq. White says that 30 countries continue to contribute militarily to the coalition, while others support efforts against ISIS in other ways. The US also partners with US AID and the Red Cross to aid those in Syria and Iraq who were liberated from ISIS over the last five years. White said that since its peak in 2014 ISIS has lost more than one hundred thousand square kilometers and that its once formidable army of 40,000 terrorists has been reduced. More than 8 million people were liberated. “The threat continues to be confronted,” he said. The US is particularly pleased that the Iraqi Security Forces have emerged after years of training to conduct their own raids and air strikes. Iraqi forces carried out 1,000 independent ground ops in the recent period. But he notes the region remains complex and there are challenges. Fully 225,000 Iraqis have been training, including soldiers, airmen, Peshmerga, border guards and elite counter-terror units. The US has faced hurdles recently in Iraq and Syria. A Turkish invasion last year in northern Syria, Iranian and Russian meddling and threats from pro-Iranian militias are among the challenges faced. Despite that, the coalition says its partners achieved tactical overmatch in fighting ISIS. Compounds in Iraq have been transferred to the Iraqis and the US has consolidated forces. “We focus on advising partner forces,” White says. “In Syria the partnership will not change.” The US is also “divesting” itself of some $4 billion in equipment being turned over to the partners forces. The pandemic has led to a series of changes. US and coalition forces are now separate from locals. Many coalition trainers, mostly from European countries, departed Iraq temporarily. Lt.-Gen. White says they are expected to return eventually. NATO may play a more prominent role in the future. However the issue at present is protecting the forces on the ground from the pandemic and also other threats, such as rocket attacks by Iran-backed militias. With the pandemic the ability to rotate forces from Iraq has been slowed. That means that forces that might arrive have to undergo health checks and complex processes. In addition some service members from the coalition were sent home on compassionate grounds, relating to concern for families dealing with the COVID-19 crisis. White was reticent to elaborate about tensions with Iran since it is not a coalition mission but he says that when there are intelligence warnings he consults with higher ups in the Pentagon regarding force protection and that the US makes sure to protect its forces in Iraq. “We keep an eye on it,” he says, referring to threats by Iranian-backed militias who have already killed four members of the Coalition in the last year. Lt.-Gen. White did not characterize recent ISIS activity as a resurgence. He said that recent ISIS attacks are similar to the numbers last year and that ISIS has not carried out sophisticated attacks like it did in 2017. For instance it doesn’t build vehicle-based bombs, called VBIEDs, anymore. That could change but the Coalition appears optimistic that despite the pandemic ISIS has not been able to enter the security vacuum that might have been created. In Syria there are concerns about the fourteen facilities where thousands of ISIS detainees from some 50 countries are held. Recent riots in Hasakah at one prison illustrated that. White acknowledged this issue and said that the Coalition was giving support to the SDF to secure he prisoners, including riot gear. Security cameras might be provided as well. He praised the SDF for their quick reaction and noted the importance of securing the Iraq-Syria border to stop ISIS smuggling and threats. In the end the pandemic has changed how the US uses forces on the ground. It doesn’t appear there are special forces raids and the Security Force Assistance Brigades that were once in Nineveh and with the Peshmerga near Makhmour have had to alter their work. That means the US and coalition focuses on “mentoring” a the highest levels and providing some air strikes when requested. But that appears like a reduced and less active role. The coalition indicates this is because the Iraqi forces are able to do operations on their own and they don’t need the US at lower levels, they may need the surveillance, and other assets at a higher level but not down with battalions and companies. Time will tell if the pandemic permanently re-shaped the war on ISIS and led to permanent reduction of Coalition partners on the ground, or if they will return.
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