We serve to maintain enduring defeat of Daesh: Coalition spokesman to North Press
WASHINGTON, USA (North Press) – The Islamic State (ISIS) is increasingly reliant on criminality to sustain insurgent-like attacks, which seek to undermine the progress of liberated areas toward stabilization, the spokesman of the Public Affairs of CJTF-OIR, Col, Joel Harper, told North Press on Friday.
“Daesh remain defeated, isolated and vulnerable. Their fighters remain mainly in small cells, operating in rural areas and relying primarily on IED and small-arms fire to carry out attacks against both civilians and security forces,” Harper said.
As for the US forces withdrawal from Iraq he noted, “There is not a ‘withdrawal.’ We are currently nearing completion of the full transition of our force from a combat role to a force that advises, assists, and enables our partner forces, at the invitation of the Government of Iraq.”
In response to a question on drone attacks against Iraqi government and the US interests in Iraq and Eastern Syria, Harper pointed out, “We always retain the right to defend Coalition and partner forces against any threat,” adding, “We will not hesitate to defend ourselves against any malign actors.”
He stressed that attacks on their forces will not be tolerated and the Coalition will respond with the “appropriate level of force to maintain our defense,” adding, “attacks of this nature threaten innocent people of Iraq and Syria, both their lives and livelihood because of their lack of discrimination.”
“We serve alongside our partners to protect the people of Iraq and maintain the enduring defeat of Daesh in Iraq and Syria,” he indicated.
Col, Joel Harper mentioned that since the establishment of CJTF-OIR in 2014, “the Coalition and our partner forces have liberated more than 110,000 square kilometers in Syria and Iraq, along with approximately 8 million innocent civilians.”