U.S. Intervention 2014
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Conflict with ISIS > U.S. Intervention in 2014
The United States response to rapid growth of the Sunni jihadist movement
in early 2014 was slow and watchful. The Obama administration did not have
the stomach for the involvement of another crisis; especially in Iraq. The
world was inflamed with problems in Afghanistan, Libya, Crimea, eastern
Ukraine, Syria, and Gaza. However, as the ISIL gained territory and
strength the Obama administration grew more concerned and slowly attempted
to develop its'
strategy to counter the Islamic State.
Stages of U.S. Intervention in Iraq - 2014
In late July 2014 the United States sent almost 250 advisers to Iraq to perform
assessments on the ability of the Iraqi Army to fight the Islamic State
and to determine areas where the U.S. might be of assistance. In addition,
additional military personnel were dispatched to protect the U.S. Embassy
personnel and to establish a response force at the military side of the
Baghdad International Airport (BIAP). By the end of July there were
probably around 800 plus military personnel in Iraq.
Military aircraft and drones were used to gather intelligence and provide
an aerial response force for extremis situations. The information from the
manned over flights and the drones were provided to two different
operations centers (one in Baghdad and one in Irbil). These two centers
(call them Intel and ops fusion centers) developed a situational
awareness, intelligence picture, and an overall (and continuous)
assessment of the Iraq conflict.
In early August, prodded by the prospect of a humanitarian disaster
(the Yazidis in the Sinjar area of Iraq), the
Obama administration decided to allow limited airstrikes against ISIS in
support of Kurd positions around Erbil and to provide
humanitarian
assistance airdrops of food and water to
Yazidis refugees trapped on
Sinjar Mountain
in northwestern Iraq.
August 7, 2014. The U.S. military conducted a targeted airstrike
against a mobile artillery piece of the ISIL located near Irbil (capital
of the Kurdish Regional Government or KRG). 1.
The air strike was conducted by two F/A-18 aircraft - dropping 500-pound
laser-guided bombs on the target.
August 7, 2014. The U.S. Air Force, using a C-17 and two
C-130s and escorted by two F-16s, dropped humanitarian aid - food and water- to thousands of
Yazidi refugees
trapped by ISIL forces on
Sinjar Mountain
near the Syrian border.
August 8, 2014. A U.S. drone
struck a ISIL mortar postion on the outskirts of Irbil and four F-18/A
figher jets hit a stationary ISIS convoy of seven vehicles and a mortar
position neaer Irbil. 2.
August 11, 2014. Recent news reports 4.
indicate that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has shipped weapons
directly to the Kurds. The CIA is the natural agency to conduct this
transfer of equipment for two reasons. First, there are no known legal
arrangements where the U.S. Department of Defense can transfer weapons to
a non-state entity and the Peshmerga use Soviet bloc equipment (AK-47s)
rather than equipment found in the U.S. military.
September 2, 2014. News reports provide speculation that U.S. Special
Operations Forces are operating on the ground with Kurdish Peshmerga
units. 5. The most likely role is to
call in airstrikes on ISIL positions. This 'eyes on target' would provide
very accurate close air support or CAS 6.
to the Kurds. Most likely, the SOF operators are members of the 10th
Special Forces Group (with a long history of working with the Kurds)
augmented with some Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTAC).
News reports in early September 2014 indicated that the defense department
is considering the deployment of contractors to advise the Iraqi defense
forces and the ministry of defense.
Endnotes
1. See U.S.
Aircraft Conduct Targeted Airstrike in Northern Iraq, U.S. Department
of Defense, August 8, 2014 at this
link.
2. See US launches second wave of airstrikes, The
Hill, August 8, 2014 at this
link.
3. For more on the humanitarian mission of 7 Aug 14 see
Background Information on the Humanitarian Assistance Operation Near
Sinjar, Iraq, DoD, August 2014.
www.defense.gov/pubs/140808_HumanitarianAssistance_Update.pdf
4. For reports of CIA weapons shipments see U.S. directly arming Kurds
in Iraq, CNN World, August 11, 2014 at this
link.
5. See "Are American Troops Already Fighting on the Front Lines in Iraq?",
The Daily Beast, September 2, 2014 at this
link.
6. For more information on CAS see Joint Publication 3-09.3, Close Air
Support, July 8, 2009 at this
JP
3-09.3.
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