General Frank McKenzie (centre) the top US commander for the Middle East on Saturday, during an unannounced visit to military outposts in Syria. Credit:AP
Sydney Morning Herald: US forces step up Islamic State operations in Syria
Green Village Base, Eastern Syria: US troops in Syria have picked up the pace of counter-terrorism operations following a lull, a top US commander says, but the future of the American mission remains uncertain amid changing dynamics in the Syrian conflict and the potential for renewed presidential intervention.
"The tempo is coming back," General Kenneth "Frank" McKenzie jnr, who heads US Central Command, said on Saturday during a visit to a constellation of tiny American outposts in eastern Syria.
American troops in Syria, like those in neighbouring Iraq, shifted their focus from anti-extremist operations to force protection after a January 3 strike in Baghdad killed major-general Qasem Soleimani, Iran's most influential military figure. Iran retaliated by launching ballistic missiles at US troops in Iraq, causing no deaths, although a number of service members have suffered symptoms believed to be associated with traumatic brain injury.
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Update: General: US committed to Syria fight; Missions up against IS (AP)
WNU Editor: Boasting that US troops are now conducting three to four operations a week with Syrian Kurdish forces against the Islamic State in a region as vast as eastern Syria tells me that if this is what is called "picking up the pace", then ISIS as an effective fighting force is definitely finished. This trip is more PR, and to justify the US military presence in Syria.
2 comments:
Well, there is a blindspot.
,,,
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