U.S. expands war against Islamic State with airstrikes in Syria
U.S. expands war against Islamic State with airstrikes in Syria
(about 5 hours later)
The United States and several Middle East partners pounded Islamic State targets in Syria on Tuesday with waves of warplanes and Tomahawk cruise missiles in an aggressive and risky operation marking a new phase in the conflict.
U.S. military leaders said Tuesday their aerial bombardment of Syria was only the beginning of a prolonged campaign that will continue intermittently for months and will become more difficult as targeted militants seek refuge in populated areas.
In brief remarks outside the White House hours later, President Obama stressed that “this is not America’s fight alone” and vowed to press the battle against “these terrorists” in concert with U.S. allies.
The United States is now attacking two sets of enemies in the region: the Islamic State, a growing movement of jihadists seeking to create its own country in the Middle East, and the Khorasan Group, a smaller network affiliated with al-Qaeda that officials say is plotting against Europe and the United States.
At the same time, as the U.S. military and its Arab partners prepare more airstrikes in Syria in the coming days, they will have to contend with another adversary: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Although U.S. officials said they weren’t targeting Assad or his forces, many of the Sunni Muslim allies in President Obama’s coalition would like to see his government finally collapse after a devastating three-year civil war. Whether the coalition’s intervention in Syria will eventually help or hurt Assad represents one of the greatest unknowns in a military campaign filled with uncertainty.
Army Lt. Gen. William C. Mayville Jr., director of operations for the Joint Staff at the Pentagon, said the objectives set for the U.S.-led war in Iraq and now Syria could take years to complete. The attacks in Syria marked the start of a new phase, coming six weeks after the U.S. military began a similar campaign of airstrikes against Islamic State fighters in neighboring Iraq.
The overarching goal, Mayville said at a news conference, is “to degrade and ultimately destroy” the Islamic State, first by directly attacking the group in both countries, severing its supply lines and disrupting its sources of arms and money.
To succeed over the long term, Mayville added, the United States and its allies will have to train and equip three different proxy forces: the Iraqi military, the Kurdish pesh merga fighters and moderate Syrian rebels. All have proven hapless so far in head-to-head battles with the Islamic State and will require U.S.-military backing to reclaim territory.
“The most important thing is to create some space for the Iraqi security forces to reorganize and replace leadership that needs to be replaced,” Mayville said. “What we have been doing over these last couple of weeks and what last night’s campaign was about was simply buying them some space so that they can get on the offensive.”
In confronting the Khorasan Group, a network that had received scant public mention before this month, the Obama administration may find itself acting largely on its own.
The first wave of strikes Monday primarily consisted of dozens of Tomahawk cruise missiles launched by U.S. warships against eight Khorasan Group targets in northwestern Syria, near Aleppo. Military officials said they attacked Khorasan training camps, a munitions production center, a communications building and other sites.
Mayville justified the blitz by citing U.S. intelligence reports showing the Khorasan Group “was in the final stages of plans to execute major attacks against Western targets and potentially the U.S. homeland.”
He did not elaborate on those reports and declined to comment when asked if there was evidence that any plots had already been set into motion. He also said the military was still assessing the overall damage it inflicted on the Khorasan Group and whether its ability to carry out attacks beyond the region had been diminished.
The strikes against the Khorasan Group were an exclusively American operation. Mayville did not explain why Arab allies did not participate in that phase, but other U.S. military officials noted that it would have been difficult for Arab warplanes to bypass air defenses and cross deep into Syrian airspace to reach Aleppo.
It is also unclear whether the five Arab partners consider Khorasan — which refers to an ancient Islamic region that covered parts of present-day Iran and Afghanistan — as grave of a threat to their national interests as the Islamic State.
Warplanes from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain participated in the second and third wave of airstrikes against Islamic State targets in north-central and eastern Syria, near the Iraqi border, according to Pentagon officials. Qatar also sent military aircraft in a supporting role, they said.
Mayville was reluctant to describe how substantial a role the Arab countries played, acknowledging only that the U.S. military dropped “a preponderance” of the ordnance.
All told, about 200 missiles, bombs and rockets were launched against 22 separate targets in Syria, U.S. military officials said.
In comparison, since Aug. 8, the U.S. military has conducted airstrikes against 194 Islamic State targets in Iraq. U.S. officials said they expected the pace of airstrikes in both countries to ebb and flow in the coming days, but that Monday’s attacks on Syria probably represented a high point.
The Pentagon deployed a lethal mix of aircraft, including B-1 bombers, armed Reaper drones and several types of fighter jets on Monday. Among them was the F-22 Raptor, an advanced stealth fighter that has been in the Air Force's fleet for a decade but until Monday had never been used in combat.
The Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched by two warships, the USS Arleigh Burke in the Red Sea and the USS Philippine Sea in the Persian Gulf. Also participating in the airstrikes were Navy F/A-18 Hornet fighters flying from the USS George H.W. Bush, an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf.
In a sign of Arab nations’ sensitivity about their participation, the Pentagon refrained from saying where the other U.S. warplanes and drones that attacked Syria are based. The vast majority are stationed at installations in the Persian Gulf, including several large air bases in Qatar, the UAE and Kuwait. Although the existence of the bases are an open secret, those countries have asked Washington to keep the arrangements quiet.
The allied command center for the complex air operations on Monday was at al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, U.S. officials acknowledged.
The U.S. military also has warplanes and drones stationed at a major joint base in Turkey, a NATO ally that shares a long border with Syria and Iraq. But Turkey has balked at allowing its territory to be used for airstrikes in either country.
The Pentagon released before-and-after reconnaissance photographs of a handful of selected targets in Syria to demonstrate how American forces relied on precision-guided munitions to avoid causing unnecessary damage.
Mayville said he was unaware of any credible reports of civilian casualties. He also said that the strikes had not intentionally targeted individual enemy commanders but acknowledged that such leaders had been “routinely” present at some of the targeted sites.
Prior to Monday, the Syrian government had repeatedly warned the United States and other countries not to violate its sovereignty by launching strikes. At the same time, there were clear signs that Assad welcomed the attacks on his foes.
Rear Adm. John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, said the United States did not coordinate the strikes with Assad’s government, although Washington did inform the Syrian government through its ambassador to the United Nations that the strikes would be carried out at some point.
Mayville said Syrian military radar was “passive” in the face of the airstrikes and that Assad’s forces made no attempt to defend Syrian airspace.
In brief remarks outside the White House on Tuesday, President Obama stressed that “this is not America’s fight alone” and vowed to press the battle against “these terrorists” in concert with U.S. allies.
“The overall effort will take time,” Obama said on the South Lawn of the White House. “There will be challenges ahead. But we are going to do what’s necessary to take the fight to this terrorist group.”
“The overall effort will take time,” Obama said on the South Lawn of the White House. “There will be challenges ahead. But we are going to do what’s necessary to take the fight to this terrorist group.”
After his remarks, Obama boarded his Marine One helicopter for the first leg of a trip to New York to attend the opening of the United Nations General Assembly. He said he would meet there with the new prime minister of Iraq and with other friends and allies opposed to the radical Islamic State organization.
After his remarks, Obama boarded his Marine One helicopter for the first leg of a trip to New York to attend the opening of the United Nations General Assembly. He said he would meet there with the new prime minister of Iraq and with other friends and allies opposed to the Islamic State.
In a news briefing later Tuesday morning, senior Pentagon officials said initial indications were that the three waves of strikes were successful and that among the targets was a group that was finalizing a plan to stage a terrorist attack either in Europe or the United States.
William Branigin contributed to this report.
Army Lt. Gen. William C. Mayville Jr., director for operations with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters that the air campaign is in an initial phase and that the fight is expected to continue for “years.” He said there is evidence that militants in Syria are already trying to hide among the population to thwart U.S. airstrikes. He said the Pentagon is “unaware of any civilian casualties” so far.
A statement issued by the U.S. Central Command early Tuesday said a “mix of fighter, bomber, remotely-piloted aircraft and Tomahawk” cruise missiles destroyed or damaged multiple Islamic State targets in Syria, where a civil war has been raging for more than three years.
The U.S. statement said “partner nations,” including Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, “participated in or supported” the operation, although it provided no details. The involvement of these regional allies is key for the legitimacy and logistics of the operation.
The written statement said 14 airstrikes damaged or destroyed Islamic State training compounds, storage facilities, a finance center, supply trucks and several armed vehicles.
It said 47 Tomahawk cruise missiles were also launched against the group from two U.S. carriers operating in international waters. U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corp fighters were also involved in the strikes, the statement said.
The statement said airstrikes also struck an al-Qaeda group in Syria — the Khorasan Group — that had established a safe haven around the embattled city of Aleppo and was planning an attack against the United States and Western interests.
“The U.S. Central Command conducted eight strikes against Khorasan Group targets west of Aleppo to include training camps, an explosives and munitions production facility, a communication building and command and control facilities,” the statement said.
Referring to those attacks, Obama said Tuesday: “Last night we also took strikes to disrupt plotting against the United States and our allies by seasoned al-Qaeda operatives in Syria who are known as the Khorasan Group. It must be clear to anyone . . . that we will not tolerate safe havens for terrorists who threaten our people.”
Obama praised the five Arab states that have joined the coalition, saying: “America is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with these nations on behalf of our common security. The strength of this coalition makes it clear to the world that this is not America’s fight alone.”
He added that “over 40 nations have offered to help in this comprehensive effort to confront this terrorist threat” in various ways.
Residents of the north-central Syrian city of Raqqah — the Islamic State’s self-declared capital — reported large explosions and said repeated passes from military aircraft were clearly audible.
“There were 18 air strikes in Raqqah,” said Abo Jilan, an activist from Raqqah who runs the group Raqqah is Being Silently Slaughtered. “Seven of them hit the main headquarters of ISIS, which was hugely damaged.” The Islamic State is also known as ISIS or ISIL.
While U.S. planes have been hitting Islamic State targets for more than a month in Iraq, airstrikes within Syria have considerably expanded the effort.
“Our initial indication is that these strikes were very successful,” Rear Adm. John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman, said at Tuesday’s briefing. While refraining from comment on future operations, he said that “last night’s strikes were only the beginning.”
Kirby said the United States did not coordinate the strikes with the regime of Syrian President President Bashar al-Assad and did not have any “military to military” communication with his forces, although Washington did inform the Syrian government through its ambassador to the United Nations that the strikes were being carried out.
Mayville said Syrian military radar was “passive” in the face of the airstrikes, with no effort by the regime to counter them.
He said the first wave of strikes consisted of ship-launched Tomahawk missiles. The second wave included aircraft, notably the F-22 Raptor in its first combat role, Mayville said. Coalition partners participated in the second and third waves, conducting both combat air patrols and actual strikes, he said.
Among the targets was an Islamic State “financial center” in Raqqah, which was hit by Tomahawk missiles fired from the guided missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea in the northern Persian Gulf, Mayville said. An Islamic State “command and control building” in Raqqah was also hit by Air Force F-22s, he said.
Mayville said the strikes did not target individual leaders specifically. He said it was not yet known whether any Islamic State leaders were in the buildings that were struck.
He said the campaign will be “a multi-year program,” adding: “You are seeing the beginnings of a sustained campaign, and strikes like this in the future can be expected.”
The United States has worked assiduously to build an international coalition against the Islamic State and has placed a special emphasis on recruiting Muslim countries. Until Monday, those countries had been reluctant to join, at least publicly, fueling doubts about their willingness to attack an Arab neighbor.
By enlisting the five Arab countries to participate in the Syria operation, however, the Obama administration could now boast of a major diplomatic achievement. Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates in particular have well-trained and well-equipped air forces, thanks largely to long-standing military partnerships with the Pentagon.
Obama and other U.S. leaders had all but promised in recent days that the United States would carry out airstrikes against Islamic State strongholds in Syria. The jihadist movement — which the CIA estimates has up to 31,000 fighters at its disposal — controls much of eastern Syria and has used its bases there as a springboard for seizing territory in neighboring Iraq.
But in ordering the attacks, Obama also thrust the U.S. military directly into Syria’s devastating civil war, a step that he had steadfastly tried to avoid since the country began breaking apart in 2011.
The U.S.-led military operation in Syria came just hours before Obama was scheduled to arrive in New York to attend the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly and make a further pitch for other countries to join the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State.
Obama was on the cusp of ordering U.S. military strikes in Syria a year ago to punish Assad after strong evidence emerged that the Syrian government had used chemical weapons against civilians. Obama backed away at the last minute, however, when Syria agreed to an international plan to destroy its massive chemical weapons arsenal.
This time, the Americans’ target is not Assad, who has managed to cling to his seat in Damascus, but the Islamic State, a onetime al-Qaeda affiliate that has exploited the chaos in Syria to attract a huge flow of recruits, weapons and money.
The Islamic State also represents a mortal threat to Assad and has beaten back his forces on several fronts. The Obama administration has said repeatedly that it would not cooperate with Assad in any way, even though the two sides now share an enemy. As a result, it was unclear how Assad’s armed forces would respond to unauthorized intrusions into Syrian airspace by U.S. warplanes.
The Syrian government has some of the most formidable air defenses in the Middle East. Obama had publicly warned Syria in advance not to interfere with any U.S. operations against the Islamic State, saying the Pentagon would respond forcefully. In the end, U.S. military planners said they expected Assad would stand down and allow them to attack Islamic State targets freely.
The Pentagon did not say which military bases it relied upon to conduct the airstrikes. It has several major air bases in the Persian Gulf, including in the U.A.E., Qatar and Kuwait. The U.S. Navy, whose ships launched the Tomahawk missiles into Syria, keeps its 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain.
Those bases have played a crucial role in the U.S. military campaign in Iraq. Since Aug. 8, U.S. warplanes and drones have conducted 190 airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq, but the U.S. military has only a handful of reconnaissance aircraft in the country.
The Pentagon has sent 1,600 advisers and other troops to Iraq to help Iraqi government forces and Kurdish fighters combat the Islamic State. But air power has been the crux of the U.S. military involvement in the region.
To reach eastern Syria from the Persian Gulf, the U.S. military and its allies almost certainly would have had to rely on long-range tanker aircraft to refuel their warplanes.
The Pentagon also has a large number of aircraft stationed at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey, a NATO installation. But with the exception of unarmed U.S. surveillance drones based there, Turkish authorities have said they will not allow the U.S. military to conduct airstrikes against the Islamic State from their territory.
Earlier Monday, Obama and other senior administration officials informed congressional leaders about plans to target the Islamic State in Syria.
Obama spoke Monday evening by telephone with House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), telling them of plans to begin an expanded military campaign into Syria, according to senior congressional aides.
Vice President Biden phoned Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and her GOP counterpart, Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), aides said. And House Armed Services Committee Chairman Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-Calif.) was informed by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, according to an aide to the lawmaker.
Arab participation in the operation began to solidify in recent days.
Secretary of State John F. Kerry met with leaders of the Arab states involved last week. All had told the administration weeks ago that their air forces would participate in Syria strikes if the United States provided a viable plan and convinced them that it would follow through.
Although France has agreed to join in airstrikes in Iraq, and last week conducted a bombing raid there, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Monday that his government did not believe it had the legal basis to join the Syria operations.
Since the Iraq strikes began during the summer, the U.S.-backed Syrian Opposition Coalition has pleaded for similar action in Syria, along with the Obama administration’s agreement, approved last week by Congress, to sharply increase weapons shipments and authorize the U.S. military to provide training on the ground in the region.
In remarks Monday to reporters at the United Nations, coalition President Hadi al-Bahra reiterated his plea for “immediate” U.S. and coalition strikes in Syria. “Time is of the essence,” Bahra said. “Hitting them in Iraq alone will not work if they can continue to operate, regroup, train and plan inside Syria.”
Senior opposition leaders were first told Sunday about the pending strikes, said one, speaking on condition of anonymity about the secret conversations. The official said the coalition was coordinating with the United States on “targeting, sequencing and next steps in the military campaign.”
Ed O’Keefe and Karen DeYoung contributed to this report from Washington, Rebecca Collard from Beirut, and Daniela Deane from Rome.
