Coalition Kills 35 ISIS Commanders Before the Battle Begins CPT (r) Tyler Merritt October 26, 2016 Veteran Inspired 13 Everyone likes a good story where US forces get to directly kill ISIS anything — but 35 of its commanders? Even better. The Progress Toward Mosul A coalition of Iraqi Army, Kurdish Peshmerga, and US special forces have been advancing on the city of Mosul for about a week now. The heart of the fighting will likely happen in the city, but due to the layout of the terrain surrounding Mosul, it is a little more complicated for forces to get into their assaulting positions. ISIS has held the ground leading up to Mosul as well, and the coalition has been liberating villages and towns along their path the entire way through. The Bonus US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said on Tuesday in concurrence with the French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian that the US would be accelerating its campaigns in Syria, according to Military.com. Specifically, they would be honing in on the city of Raqqa, a key ISIS-held stronghold in the northeastern region of Syria, right near the border with Iraq. This would be in concert with the current efforts in Syria, echoing remarks made last week by GEN Joseph Votel, Commander, US CENTCOM. According to NBCNews.com, the offensive on Raqqa will kick off in the next couple of weeks. The Targets From Paris, in Mr. Carter’s initial remarks, he noted that US forces were specifically targeting ISIS leadership, “including many of the highest in the last 90 days. In fact, you might say the most dangerous job in Iraq right now is to be the military emir of Mosul.” A combination of coalition airstrikes and special forces raids have resulted in the deaths of at least 35 ISIS commanders around Mosul. And this is just the beginning. Building Up Momentum This is the sort of action we here at Nine Line News absolutely love. Dead ISIS fighters are one thing — killing their chain of command goes even further in creating gaps in the organization. Unfortunately, ISIS has been doing a good deal of training of their fighters to make them more disciplined than their predecessors in Iraq. But their boldness will be their undoing as they try to fight a US-backed coalition. By targeting their leadership, we are sending a message that each and every one of their terrorists are up for grabs. And with US air superiority ruling the day, they likely won’t even know where it came from. Another issue discussed at the Paris summit was the directions given to US SOCOM Commander, GEN Raymond A. “Tony” Thomas III, who is in charge of ensuring that ISIS’s “external operations” are met with subtle failure. Mr. Carter continued, saying that “We are killing the ISIL terrorists who plot and would carry out such operations, impeding their movement across borders, and hindering their ability to use the Internet to spread ISIL’s hateful ideology.” A Tough Road Ahead All around, there is expected to be a great deal of sacrifice ahead, especially as coalition forces approach the core of the city. The Pentagon announced Monday that the forces moving in on Mosul consisted of roughly 20,000 Iraqi Security Forces and about 15,000 Peshmerga. The current estimate is that ISIS has between 3,000 and 4,000 fighters in Mosul. This battle is a long way from over, but it’s getting started in an effective manner. Coalition forces have been advancing, hopping from village to village, liberating and moving into position. Very soon, the noose will tighten and forces will move into the city. We wish them Godspeed. And don’t forget — show your support for the death of ISIS combatants. We will bring you updates as this battle unfolds.
