The US military conducted a series of operations with “partner forces” in Iraq and Syria over the past week, part of a continuing effort to degrade the Islamic State and prevent it from filling the security vacuum left by the collapse of the Assad regime.
US Central Command continued to target the Islamic State’s network in Syria after the collapse of the Assad regime. Twelve Islamic State fighters were killed during an operation that also targeted terror camps.
The Houthis in Yemen have an extensive leadership hierarchy. FDD’s Long War Journal lists some of the leaders of the organization, their roles, and if they have been sanctioned by the United States government.
Israel’s Minister of Defense recently held important talks with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, CENTCOM head General Michael Kurilla, and White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk. Gallant spelled out Israel’s current strategy in Gaza and discussed threats from Iran and Hezbollah.
Iran-backed groups launch rocket and drone strikes against U.S. bases in eastern Syria.
The United States has conducted 36 strikes in Yemen in 2018, roughly a quarter of last year’s record high of 131 strikes.
Two regional combatant commands acknowledged reports of civilian casualties in recent operations.
CENTCOM announced today that “three senior foreign fighters” in the Islamic State were killed in recent weeks. Two of them were reportedly involved in the group’s “external operations” and one of them was a trainer in the “Cubs of the Caliphate” program, which indoctrinates youth. The third jihadist helped oversee the Islamic State’s use of small drones.
The city of Tabqah and the surrounding area have fallen to US-backed forces. The Islamic State had controlled the city, the Tabqah dam, and a military airbase in the area since 2013-2014. The battle for Tabqah, which began with a surprise attack on Mar. 22, is a key part of the strategy to capture the self-declared caliphate’s capital of Raqqa.
The seventh issue of Al Qaeda’s Al Nafir Bulletin, which was released earlier today, denounced the recent American counterterrorism raid in Yemen. The group’s statement portrayed the operation as an assault on all Muslims and threatened President Donald Trump, saying “the flame of jihad has ignited and reached all over the world.”
Hacker(s) purportedly serving the Islamic State took over CENTCOM’s official Twitter feed and YouTube page on Monday.