ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—Local troops, supported by international forces, are making gains on three key fronts against the Islamic State said Col. Patrick Ryder, a US Central Command spokesperson, on Friday. In a successful offensive this week, the Peshmerga “have recaptured 85km of territory south of Mosul,” said Ryder. “[T]he Kurds are engaged in tough fighting as they further isolate Mosul and reduce ISIL security zones.” The campaign against the Islamic State (ISIL or ISIS) in Fallujah is in a similar stage of isolation, Ryder confirmed, noting that Iraqi forces “continue operations to clear the outskirts of the city.” The US-led coalition has conducted 65 airstrikes against ISIS in and around Fallujah, hitting 20 ISIS weapons caches and “more than 300 enemy fighters.” ISIS is putting up strong resistance in the city, using their traditional tactics of IEDs, suicide bombers, and tunnels. Ryder said that the international forces expect ISIS is fighting hard to hold onto the city for three reasons: the Anbar population centres are an important “revenue source and base of operations” for the group; the region’s road networks connect Syria with Iraq, Baghdad especially; and it is a symbolic location as the first Iraqi city the militant group took and “it remains one of their last major strongholds in the Anbar province.” On the third front, in Syria, coalition forces are supporting the Manbij Military Council in an Arab-led offensive in the Manbij pocket. “Since the offensive began May 30, Arab-led forces have secured western lodgments of the Euphrates, extending the line forward over 100 square kilometres,” said Ryder. “Liberating Manbij will further reduce ISIL’s hold on the region and, importantly, cut this key route to prevent ISIL from using it,” and hinder the terrorist group’s ability to carry out attacks on Europe.
