The U.S.-led coalition has increased airstrikes against the Islamic State (ISIS) by 50 percent this year, as it seeks to inflict insurmountable damage on the terrorist organization.
In the months of January to April, 14,192 airstrikes targeted ISIS territory, a nearly 50 percent rise from the 9,442 launched in the same period last year.
Lt. Col. Damien Pickart, a spokesman for Air Forces Central Command, claimed the increase in airstrikes “can be attributed to the increased pace of operations in both Iraq and Syria as we target and destroy ISIS.”
Defense Secretary James Mattis has credited Donald Trump with the coalition’s success in the region, claiming that he has given greater responsibility to battlefield commanders and rolled back military regulations implemented by former President Barack Obama, who has been accused of micromanaging military activity.
“He has delegated authority to the right level to aggressively and in a timely manner move against enemy vulnerabilities,” Mattis said.
As part of General Mattis’s plan to defeat ISIS, the U.S. military has also expanded the number of military advisers operating in both Iraq and Syria while deploying approximately 5,000 ground troops in Syria and 1,000 in Iraq.
Airstrikes have particularly focused on cities of Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria, both considered key battlegrounds in the fight against the Islamic State. The Islamic State considers Mosul its regional capital and Raqqa the capital of its “Caliphate.”
Recent reports suggest that Mosul, with the aid of the Iraqi army, is close to being fully liberated, although the U.S. military commander responsible for the region warned that the final stages of the battle could be “extremely violent.”
The fears of more bloodshed come amidst reports that Iraq’s interior minister has ordered an inquiry into allegations that soldiers had tortured, killed, and abused civilians in their campaign to oust Islamic State militants in Mosul. The inquiry comes after German newspaper Der Spiegel published photos of alleged ISIS sympathizers being beaten, raped, and tortured.
“The Interior Minister ordered investigators to conduct a clear and fair inquiry … (and) to take legal measures against those who are negligent if the investigation proves so,” the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
Meanwhile, in Raqqa, ISIS leadership has begun moving out the region as the coalition of Syrian rebels, Kurdish militias, Turkish soldiers, and U.S. troops close in on key territories. The final push to expel ISIS from the region is expected to take place in June.
You can follow Ben Kew on Facebook, on Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart.com.
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