World News September-23-2014 Obama Syria strikes

-
Strikes came in three waves
The attacks were "very successful," Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby said Tuesday.
While the military can't comment in detail about future plans, the strikes "were only the beginning," Kirby added.
The airstrikes came in three waves, with coalition partners participating in the latter two, Army Lt. Gen. William Mayville Jr. said Tuesday. The first wave, which mostly targeted the Khorasan Group, started at 3:30 a.m. (8:30 p.m. ET Monday) and involved U.S. ships firing missiles into eastern and northern Syria.
The second wave, 30 minutes later, involved planes striking northern Syria, with targets including ISIS headquarters, training camps and combat vehicles. The third wave, begun shortly after 7 a.m., involved planes targeting ISIS training camps and combat vehicles in eastern Syria, Mayville said.

Map: Airstrikes in Syria Map: Airstrikes in Syria
Map: Airstrikes in SyriaMap: Airstrikes in Syria
It's too early to say what effect the U.S. strikes had against the Khorasan Group, Mayville said.
The strikes marked the first time the United States used F-22 Raptor stealth aircraft in a combat role. The military has previously run into problems with the aircraft.
Monitor group estimates at least 70 ISIS militants killed
The airstrikes against ISIS focused primarily on the city of Raqqa, the declared capital of ISIS' self-proclaimed Islamic State.
The operation began with a flurry of Tomahawk missiles launched from the sea, followed by attacks from bomber and fighter aircraft, a senior U.S. military official told CNN.
The goal: Taking out ISIS' ability to command, train and resupply its militants.
In all, 200 pieces of ordnance were dropped by coalition members, and four dozen aircraft were used, a U.S. official told CNN. About 150 weapons used were precision-guided munitions. The United States fired 47 Tomahawk missiles, eight of them against Khorasan targets.
The number of casualties was not immediately clear. But U.S. Central Command said the strikes damaged or destroyed ISIS targets including fighters, training compounds, command-and-control facilities, a finance center and supply trucks.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 70 ISIS militants were killed and more than 300 were wounded. But CNN and other news outlets were unable to confirm the figures.
U.S. strikes Khorasan Group and ISIS
U.S. begins airstrikes in Syria
Syrian Kurds fleeing ISIS militants wait behind a fence in Suruc, Turkey, on Sunday, September 21. As many as 200,000 people have left the area surrounding the Syrian city of Kobani, also known as Ayn al-Arab, as ISIS advances, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Monday, September 22. The civil war in Syria has destabilized the country and created an opening for the militant group, which is also advancing in Iraq as it seeks to create an Islamic caliphate in the region.Syrian Kurds fleeing ISIS militants wait behind a fence in Suruc, Turkey, on Sunday, September 21. As many as 200,000 people have left the area surrounding the Syrian city of Kobani, also known as Ayn al-Arab, as ISIS advances, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Monday, September 22. The civil war in Syria has destabilized the country and created an opening for the militant group, which is also advancing in Iraq as it seeks to create an Islamic caliphate in the region.
Syrian civil war in 2014
HIDE CAPTION
<<
<
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
>
>>
Photos: Syrian civil war in 2014 Photos: Syrian civil war in 2014
CNN national security analyst Fran Townsend said these attacks focused on infrastructure, but were just the beginning.
Eventually, she said, there will likely be "a real campaign to go after leadership targets."
Celebration amid fear
For months, civilians in Raqqa have been living under the harsh rule of ISIS after militants took over their city, which had been one of Syria's most liberal cities. The group now controls much of their lives, imposing a strict brand of Sharia law and doling out barbaric punishments, such as beheadings and crucifixions.
Abo Ismail, an opposition activist inside Raqqa, said Tuesday that residents were elated to see the U.S. attacking ISIS targets there.
But at the same time, he said, ISIS has increased security in the city.
"I would dance in the streets, but I am too afraid," Ismail said.
A U.S. intelligence official said that while law enforcement is aware the airstrikes against ISIS in Syria could incite a response, there is no evidence to suggest any terrorist strike is in the works against the United States.
 
 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fundamentalist Secular Assad Orders Syrian Navy Ships to Bombard Port City of Latakia

-
Image
The crimes of seculars such as Bashar Assad are unprecedented. Although some tout secularism as navirna in real life it is hell. In yet another escalation of its crackdown on dissent, the Syrian government unleashed navy vessels, tanks and a mix of soldiers, security forces and paramilitary fighters against the port city of Latakia on Sunday, killing at least 25 people, including three children, activists and residents said. President Obama spoke in recent days with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain. Each declared the necessity for Syria to stop killing protesters, who so far have remained largely peaceful, but none of the leaders has yet demanded that Mr. Assad step down. Shame on them. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/15/world/middleeast/15syria.html
Read more