Here's how you know
 **Official websites use .mil** .mil
 **Secure .mil websites use HTTPS** lock () https://


Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 Toggle navigation
            
            U.S. Central Command
                CENTCOM
        Search
                    Search CENTCOM:
                        Search
                Search CENTCOM:
                    Search
    Home

    ABOUT US
    
        COMMAND PRIORITIES

    LEADERSHIP

    COMPONENT COMMANDS

    HISTORY

    POSTURE STATEMENT

    CENTCOM AOR
    
        CENTCOM COALITION

    OPERATIONS AND EXERCISES
    
        USMTM

    CONTACT
    
        OPERATIONAL CONTRACT SUPPORT

    COMMUNITY RELATIONS

    THEATRE MEDICAL CLEARANCE

    INNOVATION VENDOR PORTAL

    MILITARY MEMBER INNOVATION PORTAL

    MEDIA
    
        SOCIAL MEDIA

    NEWS ARTICLES

    PRESS RELEASES

    STATEMENTS

    IMAGERY

    VIDEOS

    TRANSCRIPTS

    VISITORS AND PERSONNEL
    
        FAMILY CENTER

    FAMILY READINESS

    CENTCOM WEBMAIL

    SOCIAL MEDIA SECURITY

    ACCOUNTABILITY

    EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

    USCENTCOM UNCLASSIFIED REGULATIONS

    FOIA LIBRARY

    INNOVATION OASIS

    WELCOME GUIDE  Home
  MEDIA
  NEWS ARTICLES
  News Article View
 News
 OIR Spokesman: ISIS Faces Devastating Defeat on 3rd Anniversary of Operations By Terri Moon Cronk
                DoD News, Defense Media Activity
 The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria is now on the verge of a devastating defeat in Raqqa, Syria, the Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman said today. 






Army Capt. Ryan Stanfield, a flight nurse, and Sgt. Jared Belisle, a crew chief, pull German soldiers into an HH-60M Black Hawk helicopter during a coalition medevac and hoist training exercise at Erbil, Iraq, Aug. 20, 2016. DoD photo by Army Sgt. Kalie Jones




U.S. Army Capt. Ryan Stanfield, a flight nurse, and Sgt. Jared Belisle, a crew chief, both assigned to Company C, 1st General Support Aviation Battalion, 111th Aviation Regiment, Task Force Dragon, pull German soldiers into an HH-60M Black Hawk helicopter during a coalition medevac and hoist training exercise at Erbil, Iraq, Aug. 20, 2016. This training was conducted to teach and familiarize German, Dutch, and Finnish soldiers with U.S. Army medevac equipment and procedures. More than 60 Coalition partners have committed themselves to the goal of eliminating the threat posed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and have contributed in various capacities to the effort to combat ISIL.
        Coalition soldiers conduct medevac training
            Army Capt. Ryan Stanfield, a flight nurse, and Sgt. Jared Belisle, a crew chief, pull German soldiers into an HH-60M Black Hawk helicopter during a coalition medevac and hoist training exercise at Erbil, Iraq, Aug. 20, 2016. DoD photo by Army Sgt. Kalie Jones

            SHARE IMAGE:

                Download Image
                    Image Details
                    
                    Photo By: U.S. Army Sgtj. Kalie Jones
                    
                    VIRIN: 160820-A-KH215-945 Speaking to Pentagon reporters via teleconference from Baghdad, Army Col. Ryan S. Dillon called the impending collapse of ISIS in the city it declared the seat of its so-called caliphate “momentous,” noting that today is the third anniversary of coalition operations. Three years ago, the global threat of ISIS was met with a U.S.-led coalitionof 69 nations and four international organizations and partner forces on the ground, Dillon said. That coalition has beaten back ISIS on all fronts in Iraq and Syria. **Quickly Shrinking Territory** “ISIS in Iraq and Syria are all but isolated in their quickly shrinking territory,” he said, citing another hard-fought victory in Mosul, Iraq. Raqqa is now more than 90 percent cleared of ISIS forces, he said. “Over the past 96 hours, we have seen about 1,300 civilians assisted to safety by the [Syrian Democratic Forces], and just about 3,000 civilians rescued in the last week,” he said. And in the last few days, about 350 fighters surrendered to the SDF in Raqqa, with several confirmed foreign fighters taken into custody after SDF screening, Dillon added.







01:02
    
    

    
    
    
    VIDEO  | 01:02
            |
            ‘ISIS Losing in Every Way,’ Coalition Spokesman Says **Raqqa Clearance Speeds Up** Clearance of the remaining portion of Raqqa’s city center has accelerated after the SDF ensured the safety of civilians, he said, adding that the SDF have moved on the national hospital complex and the soccer stadium. The SDF also fully cleared the Naim traffic circle, once a symbol of fear and terror under ISIS, where the enemy organization conducted public executions. “In Raqqa and elsewhere across Syria, our focus remains on reducing risk to the civilians, while continuing to pursue and defeat ISIS terrorists at every opportunity as they retreat into the remaining held areas in the Middle Euphrates River Valley,” Dillon said. **Anbar Province** Meanwhile, in Iraq, coalition forces remain focused on supporting the Iraqi offensive against ISIS holdouts in Rawa and Qaim in western Anbar province, the spokesman said. In the past week, the coalition has conducted more than 30 strikes against ISIS military targets in the area, including command-and-control facilities, car-bomb factories, weapons caches and a training camp, he added.







00:43
    
    

    
    
    
    VIDEO  | 00:43
            |
            U.S., Allies Remain Unified in Fight to Defeat ISIS Back-clearance operations are ongoing in areas recently liberated from ISIS. “In the Tal Afar area, since the beginning of this month, the [Iraqi forces] have found [and] removed large caches of weapons and explosives left behind by ISIS,” Dillon said. “These caches contain a total of 550 improvised explosive devices, 1,800 mortars, 25 land mines, 101 suicide vests, 16 tunnels and 11 factories for making IED’s.” (Follow Terri Moon Cronk on Twitter: @MoonCronkDoDNews)
 SHARE
 PRINT
 Related Videos Full Event Video: Operation Inherent Resolve Spokesman Briefs Reporters
 Related Links Transcript: Defense Department Press Briefing by Inherent Resolve Spokesman via Teleconference From Baghdad
  Special Report: Operation Inherent Resolve - Targeted Operations to Defeat ISIS
 About UsCommand PrioritiesLeadershipComponent
   CommandsHistoryPosture Statement
   Area of
   ResponsibilityCENTCOM Coalition
   Operations And
   ExercisesOperation Inherent
   ResolveResolute Support
   MediaSocial MediaNews ArticlesPress ReleasesVideo And Imagery
   Visitors And
   PersonnelFamily ReadinessCENTCOM WebmailSocial MediaSecurityAccountabilityEmergency
   Preparedness
   ContactCommunity Relations
                    Stay Connected
                
                Privacy & Security  Inspector General  FOIA  Privacy Act
            

Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil