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BAGHDAD After three years of being told they could not go to the front lines, U.S. troops advising Iraqi forces as they evict ISIS from Mosul no longer face those tight restrictions, according to the top U.S. commander in Iraq, Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, as the new defense secretary stood by his side in Baghdad.

"It is true that we are operating closer and deeper into the Iraqi formation," Townsend told reporters travelling with Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis. "We adjusted our posture during the east Mosul fight and embedded advisers a bit further down into the formation."

MATTIS REBUFFS RUSSIAN COOPERATION CALL

Townsend, who began his career in Baghdad as a Colonel leading a Struyker brigade during the surge in 2007, commands more than 6,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria.

"I have all the authorities I need to prosecute our fight and I am confident that if I were to need more that my leadership would provide those," Townsend said.

Mattis, a former Marine four-star general who served several tours in Iraq, is on his first visit to Iraq in his new civilian role. He is tasked with presenting President Trump a new plan to defeat ISIS -- a plan due on Feb. 27. Mattis suggested the former restrictions could be further loosened as he weighs whether to send more troops, and the Coalition prepares to expand the fight to Raqqa, the ISIS capital in Syria.

"We owe some degree of confidentiality so we don't expose to the enemy what we have in mind as to the timing of operations," Mattis said.

Call it the Trump effect, but U.S. commanders began loosening the restrictions on forward deployed troops back in November as Iraqi forces pushed into Mosul, a tough fight that began in October and is now entering a second phase in western Mosul. When the U.S. military returned to Iraq three years ago, the Obama administration refused to say U.S. troops were in combat or refer to them as "boots on the ground." The White House refused to allow these "advisers" to go to the front lines.

On the campaign trail Trump said if he were commander in chief he would loosen the overly restrictive rules of engagement.

"I would knock the hell out of ISIS...[and] when you get these terrorists, you have to take out their families," Trump said on "Fox & Friends" in December 2015.

The western Mosul operation was launched by the Iraqi Prime Minister just one day before Mattis arrived in Baghdad, a move welcomed by U.S. commanders and the new defense secretary.

"The Iraqi army has fought very well, they've lost troops and kept fighting, they've been very brave," Mattis said while meeting Iraq's defense minister. "And I'm just here to tell the minister that I admire what his troops are continuing to do today in west Mosul."

Townsend added: "If you look back a little over two years ago, this army was broken and defeated, barely able to hold their capital. This army has done this remarkable turnaround in just two years. It is an incredible turn around. They've liberated half their lost territory. They are about to liberate their second largest city center held by ISIS. Iraqi security forces are going to take that city back. No doubt about it."

Asked whether he thought U.S. troops will be asked to leave Iraq after the military clears Mosul of ISIS fighters, the top U.S. commander and the defense secretary said U.S. troops will be in Iraq for some time.

"I don't anticipate that we'll be asked to leave by the government of Iraq after Mosul," Townsend said. "The government recognizes this is a complex fight. I wouldn't want to put a timeline on it."

Mattis added: "This is a partnership. There have been a lot of rocky times out here. I imagine we'll be in this fight for a while and we'll stand by each other."

Radical Shia cleric Moqtada Al Sadr has called for U.S. troops to leave Iraq in the wake of the White House's proposed travel ban temporarily halting visas for Iraqis and repeated threats from President Trump that he would have taken Iraqi oil to pay for the war, an idea Mattis squashed before landing in Baghdad.

Said Mattis: "We're not in Iraq to seize anyone's oil."

Jennifer Griffin currently serves as a national security correspondent for FOX News Channel . She joined FNC in October 1999 as a Jerusalem-based correspondent. You can follow her on Twitter at @JenGriffinFNC.

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US troops in Iraq operating closer to front lines - Fox News

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Feb. 20, 2017 U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of yesterdays strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Coalition military forces conducted 16 strikes consisting of 29 engagements against ISIS targets in Syria:

-- Near Bab, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit.

-- Near Shadaddi, three strikes engaged three ISIS tactical units and destroyed two fighting positions and a vehicle.

-- Near Raqqa, eight strikes engaged five ISIS tactical units and destroyed two ISIS headquarters, a vehicle, a command and control node, a vehicle bomb, a vehicle bomb facility, an artillery system, and a tunnel.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, three strikes destroyed seven oil wellheads.

-- Near Palmyra, a strike destroyed an anti-air artillery system.

Strikes in Iraq

Coalition military forces conducted 13 strikes consisting of 63 engagements in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of the Iraqi government:

-- Near Haditha, a strike destroyed five connexes.

-- Near Huwayjah, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle.

-- Near Mosul, six strikes engaged four ISIS tactical units and two ISIS staging areas; damaged 15 supply routes; suppressed nine mortar teams and an artillery team; and destroyed five mortar systems, four vehicles, three supply caches, three artillery systems, two command and control nodes, an ISIS headquarters, a bomb-making facility, a heavy machine gun, a logistics node and a fighting position.

-- Near Rawah, two strikes destroyed two vehicle bomb facilities and an ISIS-held building.

-- Near Taji, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit.

-- Near Tal Afar, two strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed an ISIS-held building and an excavator.

Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIS vehicle is a strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIS to use.

Accordingly, officials said, they do not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target. Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

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Counter-ISIS Strikes Continue in Syria, Iraq - Department of Defense

UPDATED: MONDAY, FEB. 20, 2017, 12:29 P.M.

TEHRAN, Iran Iranian authorities on Monday blamed neighboring Iraq for a sandstorm that knocked out power in an oil-rich southern province and sparked protests against local officials.

Masoumeh Ebtekar, a vice president in charge of environmental affairs, called on Iraq to implement an agreement to prevent dust storms by spreading mulch over 3,500 sq. miles (9,000 sq. kilometers) of desert, state TV reported.

Iraqi officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

The sandstorm temporarily cut off power and water to much of the Khuzestan province, and reduced oil production by 700,000 barrels per day. The state-run IRNA news agency quoted a local health official as saying that 218 people were hospitalized for respiratory problems because of the storm.

Last week hundreds of Iranians protested in the city of Ahvaz, demanding the resignation of Ebtekar and the provincial governor. Authorities have since banned protests over the issue.

Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday urged the government to take swift and explicit action to address the fallout from the dust storm.

Iran says the dust storms originate in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria, and has urged authorities in those countries to combat the problem with irrigation projects and other measures.

See the article here:
Iran blames sandstorm on Iraq after protests over power cuts - The Spokesman-Review

Defense Secretary James N. Mattis made an unannounced visit to Iraqs capital on Monday to reassure allies of the U.S. militarys commitment to support the sprawling operation to recapturethe city of Mosul from entrenched Islamic State militants.

Ahead of the trip, however, Mattis made clear he did not advocate President Trumps oft-stated wish to take Iraqs oil.

Such anundertaking would beillegal and requiredecades of occupation byhundreds of thousands of troops, and likely cost more money than could be earned from the oil.

All of us in America have generally paid for our gas and oil all along and Im sure we will continue to do so in the future, Mattissaid. Were not in Iraq to seize anybodys oil.

Trump, as a candidate and as president, has repeatedly said that the U.S. should have taken Iraqs oil, including at CIA headquarters onjust one day after his inauguration last month.

"The old expression, 'to the victor belong the spoils' you remember," he said. I always used to say, 'Keep the oil.' I wasnt a fan of [the war in] Iraq. I didnt want to go into Iraq. But I will tell you, when we were in, we got out wrong....

If we kept the oil, you probably wouldnt have ISIS because thats where they made their money in the first place. So we should have kept the oil. But OK. Maybe youll have another chance. But the fact is, should have kept the oil, he said, using an acronym for Islamic State, themilitant group that seized oil fields in Iraq and Syria and sold their outputon the black market.

Iraq's economy is nearly entirely reliant on oil and it remains the lifeblood for Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadis fragile government as it triestoprovidebasic services to citizens and maintain the nationsaging infrastructure.

Legal experts have said the U.S. seizure of Iraqi oil would have violated decades of international law, including the Geneva Conventions.

When Mattis stepped off the C-17 cargo plane Monday morning, it marked his first return to the war-torn country where he spent years in combat as a Marine Corps officer before retiring as a four-star general in 2014.

Hes set to have face-to-face talks with Abadi and other senior Iraqi government officials, whom he called our partner in this fight against Islamic State. Iraqi ground forces began the assault Sunday to retake Mosul, Iraqs second-largest city.

The operation, backed by U.S. air power and special forces, is expected to take months.

Were going to make certain that we have good shared situational awareness of what we face as we work together, fight alongside each other to destroy ISIS, Mattis told reporters Sunday before the trip.

Iraq is also one of seven countries named in Trump's temporary ban on travelersthat was put on hold by the courts. Trump's ban caused anger in Iraq, where members of parliament considered retaliating by refusing to grantvisas for U.S. nationals.

While the Trump administration intends to issue another version of the ban, Mattis said he was promised that it would shield the thousands of Iraqi interpreters, advisorsand others who have assisted the American militaryin Iraq.

Right now, I am assured that we will take steps to allow those who have fought alongside us, for example, to be allowed in to the United States, Mattissaid. They will be vetted obviously by their performance on the battlefield beside us.

Originally posted here:
Defense Secretary Mattis arrives in Iraq and makes clear the US is not there to take oil - Los Angeles Times

Canadian special forces have shifted their operations in northern Iraq to put pressure on ISIS in places outside the strategic city of Mosul including along the border with Syria.

Rather than firing, now they're mainly scrutinizing.

High atop a rocky hilltop Monday, two Canadian soldiers sat in a makeshift bunker located more than a kilometre behind the frontline between Kurdish forces and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

One bearded soldier looked through a high-powered viewfinder, scanning the small community that lay below, while the other took notes. A camera sat between them in case something interesting appeared.

When the first Canadian soldiers arrived in the country in September 2014, their mission was to help train the Peshmerga to stop and hold back a confident and, until then, undefeated ISIS hoard.

Now, as ISIS no longer has the upper hand, both the Canadians and the Peshmerga have re-evaluated their strategy.

Flying by helicopter from Erbil, the Kurds' capital in Iraq, to the Mosul Dam, one can see the barricades of dirt and defensive positions that helped the Peshmerga stop ISIS from overwhelming northern Iraq.

The trenches and stone buildings hastily constructed during that period two years ago lie abandoned today, as the war and Canada's role in it shifted from defence to offence.

Kurdish forces, supported by the Canadians, kicked off a long-anticipated attack to free Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, from ISIS in October.

But the Kurds and their Canadian comrades stopped short of Mosul, as planned. Instead, they shifted to fighting the extremist group in other ways and let the Iraqi military enter and clear ISIS from the city.

Briefing reporters on Monday at Camp Erable, the Canadian military camp in Erbil, a special forces officer said the mission has turned toward identifying and monitoring potential ISIS targets in the region.

That includes keeping tabs through optical sights and other means, on "key enemy movement corridors" between Iraq and Syria as well as areas inside and immediately outside Kurdish territory.

Canadian special forces look over a Peshmerga observation post in northern Iraq on Monday. (Ryan Remiorz/Canadian Press)

The officer said such monitoring helped locate ISIS forces inside a large town that was sidestepped during the early parts of the Mosul offensive and needed cleaning up.

It also means a decline in the number of times Canadian soldiers have actually fired their weapons in recent months, the officer said, as potential targets are relayed to the Iraqis and coalition for destruction.

The special forces officer, who asked not to be identified for security reasons, said the nature of the Mosul offensive had meant Canadian troops often found themselves in situations where they were required to fire.

That isn't the case now, he said, adding that Canadian soldiers are specifically told to set up in locations where such circumstances are unlikely.

The Canadians continue to work with the Peshmerga. At the hilltop encampment, a number of fighters from the Kurds' elite Zeravani stood guard on the perimeter while others relaxed inside.

A Peshmerga soldier mans an observation post in northern Iraq Monday. (Ryan Remiorz/Canadian Press)

In fact, the special forces officer said his soldiers have started working on a program that will train some Kurds to take on the role of instructors themselves.

Capt. Dhyab Mohammed Omar, commander of the Peshmerga fighters, praised his Canadian comrades and the contribution they had made in helping the Kurds fight ISIS.

"We are always honoured to have them at our positions," he said. "It was my wildest dream to work with the Canadians. Having them show up and help us, we would die for them."

While much of the attention surrounding Canada's mission in northern Iraq has been focused on the role being played by the special forces, they aren't operating alone.

Roughly 150 Canadian troops are stationed in Erbil, including a helicopter squadron, logistical staff, and medical personnel, all in support of the special forces mission and broader coalition fight against ISIS.

Four Griffon helicopters from Canadian Forces Base Valcartier ferry troops and equipment from Camp Erable to the special forces troops in the field every day, zipping low like dragonflies over fields, around hills and past isolated communities to avoid enemy fire.

"The challenge here is the more (power) wires and the weather during winter," said Maj. Mathieu Bertrand, commander of the helicopter squadron. "We had some fog. But generally, the weather is good."

Meanwhile, a Canadian military hospital located within Camp Erable's small footprint, which itself is part of a larger coalition base dominated by the U.S., stands ready to provide aid to those wounded in battle.

While the hospital, whose personnel hail from CFB Petawawa, has treated more than 100 patients for various injuries, Lt.-Col. Richard Morin said only 13 had received battlefield wounds. None were Canadian.

Canadian Forces Lt.-Col. Richard Morin, right, speaks to Norwegian surgeons working with Canada at the Canadian military hospital at the air base in Erbil, Itaq, Monday. (Ryan Remiorz/Canadian Press)

"The predominance of cases we're getting are emergency department-type casualties or patients that you would get when you get over 5,000 military troops all in one place," he said.

The hospital has also treated a handful of ISIS fighters who were wounded and detained by coalition forces, which Morin said falls in line with the laws governing war.

"We actually understand even in conflict, there are rules that you need to follow that respects the dignity of life," he said. "That's what makes us different."

The entire effort is underpinned by logistical personnel, led by Lt.-Col. Dominique Dagenais, who are responsible for Camp Erable and ensuring that everything runs smoothly.

Dagenais said the biggest challenge he faces is ensuring new personnel get their Iraqi visas in time to replace those who are nearing the end of their deployments.

The Iraqi government has in the past dragged its feet when it comes to Canada's mission against ISIS, including delaying deployment of the military hospital and signing off on a plan to arm the Kurds.

An Iraqi police force member aims a rocket-propelled grenade at an ISIS position from a hillside outside the town of Abu Saif on Monday. Iraqi Federal Police forces have pushed into the southern outskirts of Mosul on the second day of a new push to drive Islamic State militants from the city's western half. (Bram Janssen/Associated Press)

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Canadian troops in Iraq mount pressure on ISIS around Syrian border - CBC.ca