Army Colonel Steve Warren, the spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), the U.S.-led military operation against IS in Syria and Iraq, is giving a press briefing.
Here are some of the main points:
-- Warren showed a document that comprises IS instructions to militants on withdrawal from Fallujah, including dressing as ISF fighters and blowing up mosques, killing and torturing civilians.
-- A second document was an IS ban on people living inside IS territory from watching TV or buying or repairing satellites. This illustrates where IS is right now, we are starting to see a change in behavior which could be sign of weakness.
Army Colonel Steve Warren, the spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), the U.S.-led military operation against IS in Syria and Iraq, is giving a press briefing.
Here are some of the main answers to questions:
Warren was asked how many IS troops are inside Ramadi.
-- Most important point is that this is a continuation of the progress we have seen over past couple of weeks.
-- What they are finding now is what they found over past several weeks -- booby trapped, IEDs, enemy fighters who are fighting fairly hard
-- Numbers are not particularly hard but in restricted terrain it's hard to maneuver
-- Dropped leaflets to help civilians including with routes out of city
-- No reports of ISF casualties
Army Colonel Steve Warren, the spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), the U.S.-led military operation against IS in Syria and Iraq, is giving a press briefing.
Here are some of the main answers to questions:
Question about leaflet found regarding how IS should behave if they have to retreat from Fallujah.
-- Easy to believe that this is a legitimate document.
-- No examples of IS posing as ISF and committing atrocities yet.
Army Colonel Steve Warren, the spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), the U.S.-led military operation against IS in Syria and Iraq, is giving a press briefing.
Here are some of the main answers to questions:
Among ISF forces in Ramadi, are there any Shi'ite militias? Did that come after a request from U.S. government not to include them?
-- There are not any Shi'ite forces participating but this is decision that Iraqi government makes.
Army Colonel Steve Warren, the spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), the U.S.-led military operation against IS in Syria and Iraq, is giving a press briefing.
Here are some of the main answers to questions:
Question about why U.S. started to describe air strikes in terms of how many munitions dropped and whehter this is in reaction to how Russians describe theirs?
-- Warren says he has decided to incorporate this in order to give "a little more color" following a fight near Mosul last week where U.S. released over 100 munitions but in one air strike. Not really in response to the Russians.
Army Colonel Steve Warren, the spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), the U.S.-led military operation against IS in Syria and Iraq, is giving a press briefing.
Here are some of the main answers to questions:
Question about civilians in Ramadi and how confident is U.S. that they can get out.
- Ability to target with precision is breathtaking, take great care with every strike we make, we won't strike if we think strike will cause significant civilian harm, that's why we have ground forces who can move around civilians.
- It's going to be hard for civilians (to get out of Ramadi). As the tide begins to turn in Ramadi and there is only a limited number of IS fighters there, it will be increasingly difficult for those fighters to control the civilian population. So it will be easier for civilians to break and go. IS is able to hold civilians through fear.
Here is a copy of the leaflet dropped by Iraqi forces for civilians in Ramadi to help them leave the city.
Army Colonel Steve Warren, the spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), the U.S.-led military operation against IS in Syria and Iraq, is giving a press briefing.
Here are some of the main points:
- "The fall of Ramadi is inevitable but it is going to be a tough fight"
- The force [taking Ramadi] is largely Sunni tribal fighters. There are no Shi'ites. There are Anbar police trained by Italian Carabinieri police. There will be some ISF involved.
Army Colonel Steve Warren, the spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), the U.S.-led military operation against IS in Syria and Iraq, is giving a press briefing.
Here are some of the main points:
Question about French Defense Minister's visit to Russia and agreement to share operational information about what is happening in Syria. Will this help?
-- Too soon to tell if it will be any help. We are not concerned. We are confident that French will protect information appropriately.
Army Colonel Steve Warren, the spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), the U.S.-led military operation against IS in Syria and Iraq, has tweeted a copy in Arabic and a translation into English of a leaflet thought to have been provided to IS militants containing instructions for how they should withdraw from Fallujah.
The leaflet instructs militants to carry out attacks against various civilian targets including mosques.