SAC and SDF Liberate Tabqah

SOUTHWEST ASIA – The Syrian Arab Coalition and their Syrian Democratic Force partners completed the liberation of the Tabqah Dam, as well as the city of Tabqah and its nearby airfield May 10.

The multi-ethnic SDF forced the surrender of Tabqah Dam and the remainder of Tabqah City, continuing the trend of ISIS’s diminished control of territory and people. The SDF has now further isolated ISIS in Raqqah, the terror group’s stronghold, and will continue to pursue the military defeat of ISIS throughout Syria.

“This is yet another victory by the SAC and the SDF, our most committed and capable ground force partners in the fight against ISIS who remain hard at work erasing ISIS from the battlefield, liberating their own people and lands,” said the Coalition Spokesman, Col. John Dorrian.

In Tabqah, the SDF’s increased pressure on ISIS from each flank allowed it to accelerate the pace of the fight, clear the final neighborhoods of the city, and isolate Tabqah Dam. Approximately 70 ISIS fighters conceded to the SDF’s terms, which included the dismantling of IEDs surrounding the dam, the surrender of all ISIS heavy weapons, and the forced withdrawal of all remaining fighters from Tabqah City.

The SDF accepted ISIS’s surrender of the city to protect innocent civilians and to protect the Tabqah dam infrastructure which hundreds of thousands of Syrians rely on for water, agriculture, and electricity.

The Coalition tracked fleeing fighters and targeted those that could be safely hit without harming civilians.

The SAC and SDF liberation of the ISIS stronghold of Tabqah, an operation that began March 22 with a surprise aerial infiltration behind enemy lines to the south of Lake Assad, severs ISIS’s ability to reinforce Raqqah and denies ISIS a key coordination hub that its foreign terrorist fighters used since 2013 to plan local operations and external attacks against the West.

With its seizure, the coalition has prevented a potential humanitarian disaster and ensured local citizens will continue to receive the dam’s basic services.

After ISIS’s defeat in northern Syria, ISIS moved its foreign fighters and external attack planning operations to Tabqah in order to avoid coalition airstrikes within Raqqah. The operation to seize the Tabqah dam, airfield and city disrupts ISIS operations in Raqqah and their ability to defend the city and plan and execute external attacks against the West.

With Tabqah now liberated and Raqqah further isolated, the Coalition and its partner forces continue to hinder ISIS’s ability to reinforce its self-proclaimed capital in Raqqah, prevented a potential humanitarian disaster, and ensured local citizens will continue to receive the dam’s basic services.

“The SDF’s success against ISIS demonstrates the power of working by, with and through local partner forces fighting ISIS, among their own people, in their own territory” said Dorrian. “The SDF, fighting to liberate their own people and lands, have freed more than 8,000 square kilometers of Syria from ISIS since November.”

Point de situation des opérations

ARMÉE FRANÇAISE – OPÉRATIONS MILITAIRES·THURSDAY, 11 MAY 2017

CHAMMAL

APPRÉCIATION DE SITUATION

En Syrie, la fuite des derniers djihadistes retranchés dans des quartiers isolés du Nord de la ville et aux abords du barrage a permis aux forces démocratiques syriennes (FDS) de libérer la ville de Tabqah et son barrage.

Dans la région de Raqqah les FDS maintiennent une pression offensive sur les positions de Daech autour de la ville afin de les fragiliser ou de déceler les faiblesses.

En Irak, Daech subit à nouveau fortement la pression des forces de sécurité irakiennes (FSI) à Mossoul et cherche encore à compenser ses revers militaires par une recrudescence de ses actions de harcèlement ailleurs dans le pays, essentiellement dans les régions de l’Anbar et de Hawijah.

Dans la région de Mossoul, la semaine a été marquée par la reprise de l’offensive des FSI qui ont ouvert un nouveau front au Nord de la ville. La 9e division, appuyée par la TF Wagram, a rapidement progressé depuis ses positions autour de Badush. Elle s’est emparée de l’ensemble des faubourgs Ouest de la ville encore aux mains de Daech. Après avoir opéré sa jonction avec l’ICTS elle a ensuite poursuivi ses efforts pour atteindre les berges du Tigre et cherche désormais à progresser en direction de la Médina. Dans ce secteur Daech oppose toujours une vive résistance sans pour autant réussir à entraver la manœuvre d’isolement qui se poursuit depuis le Sud.

ACTIVITÉS DE LA FORCE CHAMMAL

Appui feu – TF Wagram

La Task Force (TF) Wagram a appuyé cette semaine l’offensive de la 9e division irakienne pour s’emparer des faubourgs Ouest de la ville.

Elle a réalisé 76 missions de tir en appui des unités irakiennes, contribuant par des tirs de destruction à la progression rapide de la division entre Badush et la zone urbaine, puis par des tirs d’éclairement et d’interdiction à la sécurisation de la zone face aux tentatives de contre-attaque de Daech.

Appui aérien au Levant

Cette semaine, les aéronefs de l’opération Chammal ont réalisé 40 sorties aériennes dont 31 de reconnaissance armée ou d’appui au sol (CAS), 1 de commandement et de contrôle aérien, 4 de ravitaillement, et 4 de recueil de renseignements.

9 frappes ont été réalisées par les avions français en Irak et en Syrie. 8 d’entre elles ont été conduites en appui des opérations en cours à Mossoul et Tabqah, et une planifiée, en Irak, afin de détruire un site servant à assembler et stocker des véhicules suicides.

On May 9, Coalition military forces conducted 21 strikes consisting of 75 engagements against ISIS terrorists in Syria and Iraq.

In Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 11 strikes consisting of 14 engagements against ISIS targets.

*Near Abu Kamal, two strikes [1 British?] engaged an ISIS sniper and destroyed a front-end loader.

*Near Dayr Az Zawr, two strikes destroyed a front-end loader an and ISIS well head.

*Near Tabqah, seven strikes engaged six ISIS tactical units; destroyed six fighting positions, three vehicles; damaged a fighting position; and suppressed an ISIS tactical unit.

In Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted 10 strikes consisting of 61 engagements against ISIS targets.

*Near Al Huwayjah, one strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit; destroyed a heavy machine gun, a fighting position and damaged an ISIS supply route.

*Near Ar Rutbah, one strike destroyed a bunker.

*Near Mosul, six strikes [1-2 Australian] engaged six ISIS tactical units and a sniper; destroyed seven mortar systems, five fighting positions, three VBIEDs, two supply caches, two vehicles, and a command and control node; damaged 18 ISIS supply routes, a fighting position, a tunnel; and suppressed four mortar teams and four ISIS tactical units.

*Near Rawah, two strikes destroyed three VBIEDs, an ISIS staging area and a weapons cache.

Additionally, four strikes were conducted in Syria on May 8 that closed within the last 24 hours.

*Near Tabqah, Syria, four strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit; destroyed a fighting position and a mortar system; and damaged an ISIS supply route.

On 09 May, Australian F/A-18 Hornets supported Iraqi forces during operations in Mosul. The Australian aircraft struck a Daesh fighting position and a ground line of communication with precision guided munitions over several hours of support.

Tuesday 9 May – A Reaper intervened during a public execution staged by Daesh in Abu Kamal, Syria, killing a Daesh guard and dispersing the crowd gathered to witness the atrocity…

The RAF is continuing to support Iraqi forces in their effort to liberate western Mosul. While the operating environment in the city is very challenging, particularly given the closely-packed buildings, very narrow streets, and the density of the urban population, our aircrew have continued to deliver precision strikes in close support of Iraqi troops on the ground. Daesh’s current tactics, including the illegal use of civilians as human shields, and fighting from sites such as schools, hospitals, religious sites and civilian neighbourhoods, increases the risk to innocent life. While no military operations come without risk, particularly in dense urban environments and against such inhuman Daesh tactics, the RAF continues to take all steps necessary to minimise civilian casualties.

An RAF Reaper remotely piloted aircraft observed a group of Daesh fighters in Abu Kamal, eastern Syria, mustering a large crowd of civilians in one of the town’s main streets on Tuesday 9 May. When a van then unloaded two shackled prisoners in front of the crowd, it became clear that Daesh were organising a public execution. Given the large number of civilians present, the Reaper’s crew could not target directly the Daesh fighters about to carry out the murders. However, two armed extremists were stationed as sentries on the roof of a building overlooking the scene. A Hellfire missile was fired immediately, and scored a direct hit which not only killed one of the sentries but also brought the execution to an immediate halt, as the Daesh fighters fled the scene, and the crowd of civilians dispersed.

On 08 May, Australian F/A-18 Hornets supported Iraqi forces during operations in Mosul and the Ar-Rutba district. The Australian aircraft struck several Daesh fighting positions, ground lines of communication and a Daesh weapons cache with precision guided munitions over several hours of support.

Monday 8 May – Typhoons took part in a coalition attack on a truck-bomb factory in western Iraq, while Tornados struck nine targets in Mosul, including a Daesh headquarters…Two Typhoons joined other Coalition aircraft in a strike mission on Monday 8 May, against a Daesh truck-bomb factory in western Iraq, north-west of Ar Rutbah. Our aircraft targeted five buildings within the complex, which were all destroyed or severely damaged. The same day, two flights of Tornados continued their operations over Mosul. One pair conducted a series of attacks to support the Iraqi infantry, hitting Daesh fighters firing from rooftops and within buildings, and demolishing a local Daesh headquarters. The second pair of Tornados used Paveway IVs to cut the road network at three key choke-points to prevent Daesh moving vehicles, particularly truck-bombs, towards districts liberated by the Iraqis.

On May 8, Coalition military forces conducted 27 strikes consisting of 84 engagements against ISIS terrorists in Syria and Iraq.

In Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 16 strikes consisting of 20 engagements against ISIS targets.

* Near Abu Kamal, one strike destroyed an ISIS oil rig.

* Near Dayr Az Zawr, four strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit; destroyed four ISIS oil tankers and an ISIS well head.

* Near Raqqah, three strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit; destroyed five weapons storage caches and an ISIS barge.

* Near Tabqah, eight strikes engaged seven ISIS tactical units and destroyed five fighting positions.

In Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted 11 strikes consisting of 64 engagements against ISIS targets.

* Near Al Huwayjah, one strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed two ISIS-held buildings.

* Near Mosul, six strikes [2 British, 1-2 Australian] engaged five ISIS tactical units and a sniper; destroyed 12 fighting positions, seven rocket-propelled grenade systems, four medium machine guns, three mortar systems, two VBIED facilitation areas, two front-end loaders, a sniper position, a weapons cache, an IED facility, a roadblock, a VBIED; damaged 13 ISIS supply routes, three fighting positions; and suppressed a mortar position.

* Near Rutbah, two strikes [1 British?] 1 Australian?] destroyed a bunker and a VBIED facility.

* Near Sinjar, one strike destroyed a weapons cache.

* Near Tal Afar, one strike destroyed a VBIED factory.

Additionally, two strikes were conducted in Syria on May 7th that closed within the last 24 hours.

* Near Tabqah, Syria, two strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed a fighting position.