Col. Steve Warren, spokesman for the U.S.-led Operation Inherent Resolve against IS, is giving a press briefing:
Our relationship with Iraqi government is extremely good.
We talk to them on a daily basis about our common goal which is defeating [IS]
Iraqi government has made clear to us that it is not interested in any forces coming into Iraq that are not invited.
Col. Steve Warren, spokesman for the U.S.-led Operation Inherent Resolve against IS, is giving a press briefing:
Question on whether pace of fight against IS is "extremely slow"
Fight in Ramadi has been going on for 4-5 months now. Has retaking of Ramadi gone on too long?
I don't think it's going slow, it's going at the pace it has to go. We all want wars to go faster but in this case the claims that the pace is wrong are made by an uninformed observer.
Col. Steve Warren, spokesman for the U.S.-led Operation Inherent Resolve against IS, is giving a press briefing:
Col. Steve Warren, the spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S.-led anti-IS campaign, is giving a press conference.
Ramadi has been fully isolated and Iraqi forces are carrying out clearing ops.
From a military perspective it is not possible to "seal" something, there will always be rat lines or smuggling routes that the enemy can use to bring people in and out but they can't resupply themselves.
Col. Steve Warren, the spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S.-led anti-IS campaign, is giving a press conference.
Question on how IS attacked the Palestine Bridge in Ramadi.
Attack came from north of Ramadi which has not been cleared.
They continued penetrating south using VBIEDs and infantry but the Iraqi forces impressed us.
So while the initial push caused ISF to withdraw from the bridge they were able to stop that attack, kill the infantry supporting the VBIED and stop the VBIED.
A lot of enemy killed. All positions restored.
Two points: 1. we can't forget that this is still a war. This enemy has fight left in them.
On the other hand, the forces we're aligned with -- ISF. peshmerga -- these are becoming solid fighting forces.
We are seeing fruits of [our] labor (of rebuilding ISF).
Col. Steve Warren, the spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S.-led anti-IS campaign, is giving a press conference.
Question regarding IS attack on Peshmerga in north Iraq; Canadians involved on the ground, were any American forces involved?
Battalion sized attack, maybe 500 total IS, maybe less.
Air power killed almost 200 of them.
Don't know how much damage Peshmerga inflicted.
South of peshmerga FLOT (forward line of troops) IS have some freedom of maneuver.
Most of the forces came out of Mosul, their center of gravity in Iraq.
If that is the best they can muster, things don't look good for them. Things will get worse and worse for this enemy.
Some Canadians who were a little bit forward around Bashiqa, behind the FLOT, enemy able to push through fairly rapidly so Canadians forced to respond.
No American forces exchanged fire.
Didn't happen anywhere near any Americans.
Col. Steve Warren, the spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S.-led anti-IS campaign, is giving a press conference.
Manned and unmanned aircraft, bombers and drones, involved in the response to the attack by IS in northern Iraq.
This was a penetration. The HQ where the Canadians were -- about 5 miles.
Col. Steve Warren, the spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S.-led anti-IS campaign, is giving a press conference.
Tweets about the Ramadi offensive by ISF against IS.
The UK's mission to the United Nations tweets this from today's talks on Syria.
Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov has said that the International Syria Support Group meeting in New York is proceeding in a "constructive manner."