US Defense Secretary says "Da'ash" is living his last days in Iraq

by **Ponee** Fri Aug 25, 2017 10:12 am

Confirmed near the announcement of the final victory
Robert Barnes / for the newspaper Arkansas Democrat Gazette *
US Defense Secretary James Matisse said he was confident Iraqi forces backed by the United States would eliminate elements who "cling" to those stuck in their strongholds.

"Today we are calling for action," Matisse told reporters after meeting Iraqi Prime Minister Dr. Haider al-Abbadi and other leaders of the Iraqi government. "The facts proved that they were unable to stand up to our team in the battle."

Among the speakers was Stephen Townsend, the highest-ranking US commander in Iraq who will finish his current service in early September. "It's a tough battle, but the momentum of our partners' rush," Townsend said.
Matisse had earlier described the terrorists' status as being between pliers that would continue to be crushed on both sides of the Syrian-Iraqi border.

Matisse arrived in Baghdad just hours after President Donald Trump announced his new approach to the war in Afghanistan.
Trump has also vowed to adopt a more aggressive approach to "preaching" in Iraq and Syria, but has yet to announce a strategy far different from his predecessor's strategy.

The senior Pentagon official told agency correspondents before leaving Jordan that the Middle Euphrates Valley (which extends from the western city of Qaim to the eastern city of Deir al-Zour) will be liberated at the same time as the "strikes" on both sides of the valley, Iraq and Syria.
"The gangs that are now in the middle of the forces are continuing the dishes on them, so it is certain that their days are numbered, but they are not over," Matisse said of the terrorist group that invaded the western and northern regions of Iraq in 2014 from Syria and remained in control for more than two years. Just after that will not be soon. " Matisse described the land on which the organization stands as "the last stop for Daish," as he put it.

Unlike the war in Afghanistan, the battle in Iraq has brought more positive lights to the White House. The efforts of the US military, which enabled the Iraqi government to restore the city of Mosul, a stronghold in July, proved that there has been tangible progress on the ground so that the Pentagon is now able to say confidently that the momentum of the battle now in the hands of the Iraqi side.
Brigadier Andrew Croft, the top US Air Force officer in Iraq, says: "Over the past few months, Da'ash has lost most of his ability to control and control his forces.

"Now I'm calling for a weaker coordination than before and it seems more cracked and fragile," Croft said. "I think the right word to describe it now is rudeness."

In Iraq, terrorists are increasingly "isolated" and marginalized, but the problem in Syria is even more murky, despite the loss of territory captured by the group because of the clashes between it and local fighters backed by the United States and Syrian-backed government forces.
The role of the United States in Iraq is in some respects similar to that in Afghanistan, where the basic doctrine is to strengthen local government forces so that they can fight rather than force US troops to fight. This situation does not seem to change in either country. Although the Taleban is the main opposition force in Afghanistan, there has also been a "push" group. In both countries, the US Air Force plays an important role in supporting local forces. The Pentagon also provides assistance and assistance for the development of effective local air forces. The current dominant concern in Iraq is the Kurdish referendum on independence scheduled for Sept. 25, as the United States fears that the vote on independence would derail Iraq's political balance and inflame tensions with Turkey. Urging "On Tuesday, Iraqi troops arrived in the first residential neighborhood of Tal Afar, a town controlled by gangs, on the third day of the city's recovery, but Matisse refused to talk about victory until the Iraqis announced it.
LINK

US Defense Secretary says "Da'ash" is living his last days in Iraq

US Defense Secretary says "Da'ash" is living his last days in Iraq

Confirmed near the announcement of the final victoryRobert Barnes / for the newspaper Arkansas Democrat Gazette *US Defense Secretary James Matisse said he was confident Iraqi forces backed by the United States would eliminate elements who "cling" to those stuck in their strongholds.

Confirmed near the announcement of the final victory
Robert Barnes / for the newspaper Arkansas Democrat Gazette *
US Defense Secretary James Matisse said he was confident Iraqi forces backed by the United States would eliminate elements who "cling" to those stuck in their strongholds.