US in second phase to destroy Daesh

By Kasim Ileri

WASHINGTON

A U.S.-led coalition has completed its first part of an anti-Daesh war to degrade the militant group, a spokesman for the Pentagon said Wednesday.

“Phase one was to degrade the enemy. We focused on stopping ISIL from advancing and degrading their military capabilities both in Iraq and in Syria,” Col. Steve Warren said during a video conference from Baghdad.

The coalition has tried to eliminate Daesh's ability “to operate as a conventional force,” he said. “We are in the second phase of this operation now, and our task is to dismantle the enemy, fragment them in Iraq and Syria,” Warren added.

The U.S. would not deploy bulk military force in a combat role to the region, according to Warren, but rather defeat the terror group by using local forces in Iraq and Syria.

On the other hand, it is no secret that indigenous forces are more fragmented and divided among themselves.

Reconciliation between Shia militias and Sunni tribes is a significant challenge for Iraq. Also, problems stemming from sharing resources and revenues between the Iraqi central government and Kurdish Regional Government remain untouched.

In Syria, the situation may be more complicated with dozens of groups holding different ideologies and political aspirations, alongside Russian-backed government in Damascus.

Warren said the coalition is trying to bring groups together against Daesh as a common enemy, noting that the militant group has lost more than 40 percent of the territory it once controlled in Iraq and in Syria.

“While ISIL can still put together some complex attacks, they have not been able to take hold of any key terrain for almost a year now,” he said.