ISIS? Yes, today, we talk about ISIS.
Big Red Car here, y’all, on a lovely bright Austin By God Texas day. Ahhh, on Earth as it is in Texas!
So, in the furor of recent events, a big story has been missed: The US and its coalition partners have the last pocket of organized ISIS resistance surrounded and they are methodically and systematically eliminating them.
US leadership, air power, artillery, supplies, and allied bayonets. A smart way to fight.
This is big news.
Promises Made – ISIS
When President Trump was candidate Trump, he promised he would eliminate ISIS. He used colorful language and he laid out a big marker. Many said he was not being realistic.
The “Caliph” Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, ISIS leader who hasn’t been seen in a year and who was thought to have been killed is now thought to be in hiding somewhere along the Iranian-Syrian border. His army is about to be eliminated.
What do the results tell us?
Promises Kept – ISIS
Today, the Military Times reports that the last pocket of ISIS resistance has been surrounded in Deir ez-Zor province of Syria. This location is in the Euphrates River Valley on the border of Iraq and Syria.
Military Times Article
The operation is called: Operation Roundup and it has been underway for three weeks.
Enroute to this last stand, the forces involved — US and partners — liberated Baghuz Fawqani and Ash-Shajalah from the clutches of ISIS.
As ISIS has been herded into this last-stand enclave, individual fighters have attempted to flee. These fighters are being captured by friendly forces. Reports indicate more than 700 deserters have been rounded up.
The End
The resistance in Deir ez-Zor province is thought to be as few as 1-2,000 fighters. They are surrounded. This only ends one way, in a cemetery.
As the province has been liberated, the province government has re-opened twelve independent local municipalities, fourteen bakeries, and thirty-four freshwater pumping stations.
In addition, more than 140,000 school children (20% increase) are returning to 375 schools.
It is important to focus on what peace looks like for this embattled region.
When ISIS is eliminated, peace flows back into the void and “normal” life returns. Refugees return. Life returns.
Footnote
This victory has not come easily. As an example, one Marine artillery battalion wore out a battery of M777 155mm howitzers while firing more than 35,000 rounds in a five month period while eliminating ISIS in Raqqa.
/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-mco.s3.amazonaws.com/public/2XRMW22LRJFIPNFGYGCZ7FIPKU.jpg)
Marines sending steel down range in support of fighting in Syria in June 2017. M777-A2 howitzer.
To put that into perspective, the USMC and the US Army fired 60,000 rounds of every type of artillery during the entire Operation Desert Storm fighting.
This is the most fire missions undertaken by any artillery battalion since Vietnam which lasted a lot longer than this five month operation.
Bottom line it, Big Red Car
President Trump promised he would eliminate ISIS. Upon taking office, he took immediate action to keep that promise by deploying leadership, air power, and artillery to assist allies doing the infantry fighting
In less than a year and a half, they have eliminated all but the final pocket of ISIS fighters in the region.
When others questioned his ability to deliver on this promise, he said, “Just wait and see.”
The results speak for themselves.
There will be no Caliphate. There will be no Caliph. There will be no ISIS army. There will be no ISIS land holdings. There will be no ISIS. There will be peace.
You will not likely see this reported on the nightly news. Look for it.
But, hey, what the Hell do I really know anyway? I’m just a Big Red Car.