Army Maj. Gen. Richard Clarke, commander of the Combined Joint Forces Land Component Command for Operation Inherent Resolve, provided a Pentagon briefing this week from Baghdad on the latest coalition efforts against ISIL.
Clarke was extremely optimistic and said 20 nations are involved in the fight against ISIL, alongside U.S. forces. For the past nine months, the 400 paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division have been the core of the ground missions in Baghdad, with over 20,000 hours of unmanned aircraft flown for intelligence and surveillance in support of the Iraqi security forces.
Intelligence from the aircraft was crucial in the fight for Ramadi, in which Iraqi forces were able to utilize the information and better plan the attack, including 4,000 airstrikes. The coalition already has trained over 16,000 Iraqi security forces and 4,000 Kurdish Peshmerga forces, and have provided weaponry and resources for the fight, including Humvees and mine rollers. They also have served as advisers to five different Iraqi operation divisions and to the Combined Joint Coordination Center in Irbil, keeping the Kurds and Iraqis at the core of strategic planning. Clarke said their work, alongside Iraqi security forces and allied countries, has brought great successes, and the continued airstrikes and ISIL's depleting financial and fighting resources will only lead to more accomplishments, Clarke said, noting that the Iraqi security forces' training, specifically within the 73rd and 76th brigades, was essential in the battle in Ramadi.
Coalition forces also have trained over 2,000 local and federal police, and 1,000 more are still in training. Clarke was thankful for the resources provided for such training, specifically to the Task Force Carabinieri, which combines Italy's armed forces and police.
“I want to give a big thanks to Task Force Carabinieri, which answered the call when we needed trainers back in June and continue to uptick the amount of trainers and … trainees that they can put through.”
Coalition forces advise many separate aspects of Iraqi police forces, including the three-star Iraqi Ground Forces Command. Furthermore, the coalition assisted Kurdish Peshmerga forces in Sinjar by using airstrikes, resulting in its reclamation. Clarke said the teamwork between all coalition forces and the Iraqi and Kurdish forces is key to the success against ISIL.
The members of Clarke's division will soon be in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, leaving training, advising and the provision of resources for Iraqi security forces to the 101st Airborne. Though there have been difficult battles with ISIL, specifically in Haditha and Mosul, Clarke said Iraqi security forces were not driven back. Since May 19, when ISIL took over Ramadi, Coalition forces and Iraqi and Kurdish forces have held their current ground, and have had successes in Sinjar, Beiji and Ramadi.
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