As Iraqi and Kurdish forces tighten the noose around Islamic State fighters in Mosul, the U.S. is helping them blast through enemy defenses.
“The fires that are being delivered are very, very, precise; very, very effective; and Daesh is under attack everywhere they turn,” Beydler said, referring to the Islamic State by its Arabic acronym.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Based in Tampa, Florida,\u00a0Beydler commands Marines in the U.S. Central Command theater of operations, which includes Iraq, Afghanistan and Yemen. Between 3,500 and 5,500 Marines are in the region at any given time, half of whom are aboard ships, Beydler said Wednesday in an interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Right now, several hundred Marines are serving in Iraq, he said. Marine-led Task Forces Al Asad and Al Taqaddum are supporting two Iraqi army brigades moving toward Mosul with aircraft and artillery, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We work with our own fires, and we make sure that it\u2019s coordinated with the Iraqi security force movement and maneuver,” Beydler said. “We make sure that the fires are cleared. We have target engagement authorities and we retain that for ourselves to make sure that the fires are being properly in support of the Iraqis.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
The Army provides artillery support to the Iraqis and the Marines are contributing land-based AV-8B Harriers to the fleet of aircraft that is helping the Iraqis penetrate the Islamic State’s defenses around Mosul and take out any enemy weapons supporting those obstacles, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Obstacles without fires in support of them are not much of a problem,” Beydler said. “We\u2019re helping them take care of some of those problems from air and surface-delivered fires.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The U.S.-led coalition is also providing the Iraqis with intelligence, training on how to find and destroy roadside bombs, and equipment such as bulldozers that allow Iraqi security forces to breach Mosul\u2019s defenses, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The Iraqi security forces are making good progress,” Beydler said. “They continue to make progress. The progress was slow in Ramadi. It was much faster in Fallujah. It was faster still in Rupa and Shirqat. They\u2019re moving very, very fast on the time line that they set towards Mosul.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
While Iraqi security forces are moving according to their plan, Iraqi government officials have not said how long they expect the Mosul operation will last, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I wouldn\u2019t estimate a time myself,” Beydler said. “It\u2019s not going to be easy. Daesh has been there for some time. It will be a tough fight as it gets closer to the center of the city. What we see at this point would indicate that Daesh is falling back; they\u2019re being beaten at every tactical engagement; and it\u2019s just a matter of time.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As U.S. aircraft pound Mosul and U.S. advisers work with their Iraqi counterparts who are advancing on the city, the Marines are standing by in case they are needed to conduct a rescue mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“You can imagine, if you are an operator in an advise-assist role with Iraqi security forces \u2014 or for that matter, anywhere in the region\u00a0\u2014\u00a0or you are an aircrew, you\u2019d like to know that somebody was at the ready to come get you if you ended up in a predicament,” Beydler said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The “young, tough, hard Marines” who are responsible for the tactical recovery of aircraft and personnel mission are always ready to fly in with MV-22B Ospreys to rescue a downed pilot or a service member, he said,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I can\u2019t think of anybody better I\u2019d rather see if I was in extremis than one of our young Marines getting out of the back of an MV-22,” Beydler said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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