Free Beacon reports that U.S. and coalition forces bombed ISIS or IS, the Islamic State, 31 times in Syria and Iraq on Saturday, the Pentagon said in a news release. It was his first full day on the job. The DoD has continued the bombings.
In three days, the Defense Department ran 99 airstrikes.
Trump intends to fulfill his campaign promise to blast ISIS off the face of the earth.
Among the strikes, was Raqqa, the de facto capital, which was hit 22 times. ISIS tactical units, headquarters, tunnels, fighting positions, vehicles, and oil well heads were all targeted.
On Jan. 20 — the day Trump was sworn into office — the coalition carried out 26 strikes, according to a press release from U.S. Central Command. On Jan. 21 and Jan. 22, the coalition oversaw 31 and 42 strikes, respectively. The airstrikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, which Central Command describes as “the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community.”
Since the Senate confirmed Defense Secretary James Mattis to his position on Jan. 20, the Department of Defense has been preparing a comprehensive plan to defeat the Islamic State. The plan is expected to be delivered within the first 30 days of the new administration.
We haven’t had a plan in eight years.
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When asked during his confirmation hearing whether the US could confront the terror group in its capital of Raqqa, Syria, Mattis said he believed the US could, but he added that the anti-ISIS strategy needed to be reviewed and “energized on a more aggressive timeline.”
He told committee members, “We have to deliver a very hard blow against ISIS in the Middle East so there is no sense of invulnerability or invincibility there.” For the US, according to Mattis, that means attacking ISIS’s main areas of strength so it cannot pop up elsewhere.
In a letter to the DoD, he said it was good to be back.
Mattis also made it clear that he’s determined to restore the American military to its former might.
“Every action we take will be designed to ensure our military is ready to fight today and in the future.” Mattis wrote. “Recognizing that no nation is secure without friends, we will work with the State Department to strengthen our alliances. Further, we are devoted to gaining full value from every taxpayer dollar spent on defense, thereby earning the trust of Congress and the American people.”
In his inaugural address, President Donald Trump vowed to “unite the civilized world against radical Islamic terrorism which we will eradicate completely from the face of the earth.”
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