Dec. 1, 2016

Pentagon Details Progress for Mosul; Third Axis at City's 'Doorstep'

WASHINGTON — Iraqi forces are making significant progress in isolating Mosul as part of efforts to liberate the northern Iraqi city from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, a Defense Department spokesman said.

Nov. 30, 2016

Iraqi Forces Make ‘Remarkable Turnaround,’ OIR Official Says

WASHINGTON — British Army Maj. Gen. Rupert Jones, deputy commander of Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve, said the invasion of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant forces into Iraq two years ago has met with a “remarkable turnaround."

Nov. 28, 2016

Carter: ISIL's Days in Mosul Are Numbered

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Iraqi forces, bolstered by the international coalition, are making significant gains toward defeating the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Mosul.

Nov. 26, 2016

DoD Identifies Fallen U.S. Service Member in Syria

WASHINGTON — The Defense Department has identified Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Scott C. Dayton, 42, of Woodbridge, Virginia, as the American service member who was killed in Syria on Thanksgiving Day.

Nov. 24, 2016

Carter Offers Condolences for Fallen U.S. Service Member in Syria

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Ash Carter today offered his condolences to the family, friends and other loved ones of a U.S. service member who was killed on Thanksgiving in Syria.

Nov. 22, 2016

U.S. Airstrike in Syria Kills Senior al-Qaida Leader

WASHINGTON — Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook confirmed that U.S. forces conducted a precision airstrike near Sarmada in northwest Syria Nov. 18 that killed Abu Ayyub al-Masri, a senior al-Qaida leader in Syria.

Nov. 16, 2016

OIR Spokesman: Top ISIL Operative Killed in Coalition Airstrike in Syria

WASHINGTON — Air Force Col. John Dorrian, spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve, told reporters that a U.S.-led coalition airstrike in Raqqa, Syria, killed a senior leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Nov. 15, 2016

Gains Made for Mosul, Tough Fighting Remains, DoD Spokesman Says

WASHINGTON — The effort to liberate Mosul from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is a tough fight that is only going to get tougher, Navy Capt. Jeff Davis said as Iraqi forces and Kurdish peshmerga are making gains in the approach to Mosul.

Nov. 14, 2016

Chairman Confident of Success in Campaign Against ISIL

WASHINGTON — With the fall of Mosul within sight, the battle against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terror group will shift to other domains and areas, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

Nov. 11, 2016

Iraqi Offensive to Liberate Mosul Entering Critical Phase

IRBIL, Iraq — The Iraqi offensive to retake Mosul from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists is on or ahead of schedule, but the fight will take months, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials said while accompanying the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during his trip to the region.