This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/11/world/middleeast/united-arab-emirates-resume-airstrikes-against-isis.html

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
United Arab Emirates Resume Airstrikes Against ISIS Jordan and Emirates Carry Out Airstrikes in Syria Against ISIS
(about 13 hours later)
WASHINGTON — The United Arab Emirates on Tuesday launched a series of airstrikes in Syria, returning to combat missions against the Islamic State for the first time since December. WASHINGTON — Fighter jets deployed by Arab allies launched a series of airstrikes in Syria in the early hours Tuesday, as the United Arab Emirates returned to combat missions against the Islamic State for the first time since December, and Jordan separately continued its escalation of strikes against Sunni militants.
A squadron of Emirati F-16 fighters struck Islamic State targets in Syria in the early hours and returned safely to a base in Jordan, the Emirates’ armed forces announced. A squadron of Emirati F-16 fighters struck Islamic State targets in Syria and returned safely to base in Jordan, the U.A.E. Armed Forces announced.
In an interview, Yousef Al Otaiba, the Emirates’ ambassador to the United States, said that the United States had addressed Emirati concerns that it did not have enough resources in place in northern Iraq to rescue downed pilots. Emirati officials said the concerns that prompted them to suspend combat missions — that the United States Central Command had not deployed sufficient assets closer to the battlefield to rescue downed pilots — had now been addressed.
“The suspension of combat operations was made for purely operational and planning reasons, not political ones,” Mr. Otaiba said. “Once those concerns were addressed, combat operations resumed.” Jordan also stepped up its raids; Mansour Jaboor, the head of Jordan’s Air Force, said that Jordan had carried out 56 airstrikes against the Islamic State in recent days, as King Abdullah of Jordan continued to make good on his promise to avenge the immolation of a Jordanian pilot by the militant Sunni group.
He added that the Emirates were “fully committed” to defeating the Sunni extremists of the Islamic State “and will not back down.” Bahrain’s ruler issued a public statement that his country was ready to assist Jordan in the fight against the Islamic State, according to a statement released by Jordan’s palace.
The return of the Emirates, a key Arab ally in the coalition against the Islamic State, is a boost to the American-led coalition after a tense six weeks in which a Jordanian pilot was captured by the Islamic State and later burned alive. That elicited a fierce response from Jordan, which executed two people linked to the Islamic State and launched a series of airstrikes. Jordanian officials denied reports of a large movement of ground troops toward the Iraqi border, and asked journalists to “be careful and to abide by the information that is issued by the concerned agencies and the Jordan Armed Forces.”
The Islamic State also made an uncorroborated claim that those strikes killed the last American hostage held in Syria. “There is no talk about a ground war,” one official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity in accordance with government protocol. “We will not be reluctant to face this criminal gang in any place in the world to defend our religion, our nation, and the future of our country and our sons.
The Emirates suspended their combat missions over concerns that the United States Central Command had not deployed sufficient resources to northern Iraq — specifically Erbil, closer to the battleground — to rescue downed pilots. Aircraft for such missions were based farther south, in Kuwait. But in other ways, since last week when the video of the pilot being burned alive was released, King Abdullah has been stepping up raids on the Islamic State — or at least increasingly publicizing them — and working to increase Arab participation in the coalition against the group.
American military officials maintained that Islamic State fighters had captured the Jordanian pilot, First Lt. Moaz al-Kasasbeh, within minutes after his plane went down, and said search teams did not have enough time to locate him. A senior military official said that Lieutenant Kasasbeh’s parachute had been spotted quickly by the militants, and that he had landed in their midst. The public announcements of increased Arab participation in the fight against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, is welcome news for the Obama administration, which has sought to characterize the fight against the Sunni militants as an international coalition with Arab participation.
But his capture raised questions about whether rescue teams would have been able to get to Lieutenant Kasasbeh within the so-called golden hour, after which chances of survival from a crash drop sharply. When Emirates officials discovered that most of the rescue teams and aircraft were based in Kuwait, they said that their pilots would not fly until there was a system in place for more rapid search and rescue. While American pilots have by far carried out the bulk of the combat missions in Iraq and Syria, the United States is loath to appear as if it is acting alone. So the suspension of Emirati combat missions in December came as a blow.
Last week, the Central Command notified Emirati officials that they had sent additional rescue helicopters to Erbil. American military officials maintained that Islamic State fighters captured the Jordanian pilot, First Lt. Moaz al-Kasasbeh, within minutes after his plane went down, and said that search teams did not have enough time to locate him before he was captured. A senior military official said that Lieutenant Kasasbeh’s parachute had been spotted quickly by the militants and that he had landed right in their midst.
But his capture raised questions about whether rescue teams would have been able to get to him within the so-called golden hour, after which time chances of survival from a crash or injury drop sharply. When United Arab Emirates officials discovered that most of the rescue teams and aircraft were based in Kuwait, they said that their pilots would not fly until there was a system in place for more rapid search and rescue.
Last week, the United States Central Command notified United Arab Emirates officials that they had sent additional rescue helicopters to Erbil.
In an interview on Tuesday, Yousef al-Otaiba, the United Arab Emirates ambassador to the United States, said that Emirati concerns had been addressed.
“The suspension of combat operations was made for purely operational and planning reasons, not political one,” Mr. Otaiba said. He added that the Emirates was “fully committed” to defeating the Islamic State “and will not back down.”
But far more than the oil-rich Gulf Arab states, Jordan is dealing with poverty and unemployment, said Hasan Abu Hanieh, a Jordanian expert on Islamist groups. The Obama administration has increased aid to Jordan, and Congress is prodding the White House to increase military assistance as well.
Jordan, however, “needs to make sure the public feels they have a real say in this,” Mr. Hanieh said. Other analysts said that the most significant contribution that Jordan could make could be through its intelligence contacts, strengthened by clan and tribal links to Iraqis across the border.
President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, in a rare interview with the BBC on Monday, denied the widely documented use of indiscriminate barrel bombs by Syrian government forces against civilian areas.
“I know about the army,” Mr. Assad said. “They use bullets, missiles and bombs. I haven’t heard of the army using barrels, or maybe, cooking pots.” ”
Mr. Assad also maintained that Damascus was being informed about airstrikes against the Islamic State, and said that they could help his government if they were “more serious.”
But the Pentagon press secretary, Rear Adm. John Kirby, said the United States was not “communicating or coordinating our military operations with the Assad regime.”