Men Against Fire

Keval Bavishi, reporting from the Combined Joint Task Force: Operation Inherent Resolve(CJTF:OIR), assesses the performance of the operation in the year 2017.

“Fighting ISIS on the battlefield is one thing; fighting it in the shadows is something else entirely.” - Falah Mustafa Bakir

This past year was an action-packed roller-coaster if we take into consideration the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the Middle East. The entire Joint Task Force operation has been like an avalanche, which emerged from the United States of America, gradually joined by other nations seeking to end the threat to global peace and security. The year started with 67 active members as a part of the joint efforts, while the number climbed to 74 by the end. [1] Though, Switzerland continued being an exception, as they still provide only non-military aid to the operations. With every passing year, the international resolve to eliminate ISIS has strengthened.

While nations have increasingly contributed towards the cause, the Government of Iraq has lost hundreds of soldiers in this fight against terrorism. Apart from Iraqis, a significant number of Syrian rebels also lost their lives fighting against Islamic terror. The highlight of the year for the CJTF was the initiation of Phase III of the OIR, which included the liberation of the twin capitals of Mosul and Raqqah. Phase II had left the operation with mixed emotions, with some strategic losses and some long-term victories; yet, the following phase has been taken up with an undeterred verve by the soldiers, as the number of applications to volunteer for the mission increased within the respective national armies.

A factor that was paid a lot of attention to, by the CJTF in this past year, was the adaptive capabilities of the ISIS and their other affiliate organizations. It was reported that the group amassed several modernised weapons, mostly by looting national armories of the countries it set foot in. In multiple press releases, the leaders of the coalition have stressed upon the need for a higher degree of cooperation in terms of intelligence sharing. The Intelligence agencies of all the participating governments discussed the various strategies, which can improve their efforts, and hence, bring an end to the ISIS.

ISIS, in the past year, has lost a huge chunk of ground in North Iraq which was supposed to be their strategic stronghold[2]. The Task Force has managed to push them away, but a senior official did mention that the fight against ISIS stretches much beyond combat. The very ideology of ISIS is what the CJTF claims to stand against, and they are prepared to fight this war for generations. The past year also witnessed a transition in the mode of war. As ISIS lost ground gradually, there has been a subtle, yet a visible change from full-scale war to strict policing and surveillance. Intelligence and security are slowly turning out to be the primary weapons; they can, thus, be used to effectively prevent any anomalous surge of ISIS activity.

In the longer run, 2017 shall be remembered as the year of transition – the year the international community put up a stronger fight; the year the world decided to join hands in the fight against terror. This was the year where the war was almost won; the shadows are next. References: [1]: http://www.inherentresolve.mil/News/News-Releases/Article/1406595/cjtf-oir-reflects-on-2017-and-looks-forward-to-2018/ [2]: https://www.vox.com/world/2017/9/18/16309558/isis-iraq-kurds-trump-us-mosul-syria-war-terrorism