Bahrain: A top American military chief has described the Islamic State (IS) as being “weaker than ever”.
He said the militant group had lost ground in Syria and Iraq and claimed coalition forces now had a clearer understanding of their tactics, which enabled more effective air strikes against IS targets.
The comments were made by US Central Air Forces in Southwest Asia Commander Lieutenant General Charles Brown Jr during a conference in Bahrain yesterday.
“The participation of more than 15 countries in the air campaign against IS has added much to the combat capabilities and military capabilities of the coalition,” he told journalists.
“The IS organisation is now weaker than ever.”
However, he was unable to say how much progress had been achieved against IS on the ground.
“It is difficult to determine the level of progress achieved on the ground in the fight against IS as they are not a conventional military force with tanks or planes that can be counted in numbers,” he said.
“Definitely, the IS has lost a lot of control field in Syria and Iraq with a significant decline in its terror since mid-2015.
“We have imposed on them pressure by land and air and I am optimistic about achieving further progress in the fight against this terrorist organisation in Iraq and Syria.
“We are in a combat operation to learn more about our enemies and, on the IS, we now know a lot about their way of thinking and their movements – and we are now able to target their positions and directing more accurate than the previous air strikes.”
He was speaking on the sidelines of the Manama Air Power Symposium (MAPS), which discussed the threats of “asymmetric warfare” – conflict between traditional military units and insurgents – yesterday.
The symposium took place at the Sofitel Bahrain Zallaq Thalassa Sea and Spa ahead of the Bahrain International Air Show (BIAS) 2016 this weekend.
“This (asymmetric warfare) is a threat to the region as a whole and we are working together with friends in the region, led by the US, to minimise or finish this threat,” said Royal Bahraini Air Force Commander Major General Shaikh Hamad bin Abdulla Al Khalifa.
“Bahrain is under this threat along with the region and the world.”
MAPS brought together more than 20 air force chiefs and around 200 officials from around the world and was hosted by the Royal Bahraini Air Force and Air Defence under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad.
The conference theme was Achieving Air Power Superiority against Asymmetric Threats and a panel of six air force chiefs presented papers on priorities facing regional air forces.
Maj Gen Shaikh Hamad highlighted Bahrain’s role in a coalition supporting the Yemeni government against Houthi rebels.
“We have been supporting Yemen by being a part of the coalition led by Saudi Arabia and we are honoured to be a part of it,” he said.
“We have been working on a political coalition for years and this move to support Yemen is proof of the progress we have achieved.
“We will be always part of any coalition that is against terror, including the war in Yemen, and Bahrain will be with any coalition led by Saudi Arabia.”
The keynote address at the forum was delivered by Bahrain’s Defence Affairs Minister Lieutenant General Yusuf Al Jalahma.
Sessions discussed latest insights on a range of topics, including close air support for asymmetric warfare, new generation standoff targeting weapons, enhancing air-sea combined operations, search and rescue operations in hostile environments and the role
of unmanned aerial vehicles in enhancing situational awareness.
Speakers were Royal Bahraini Air Force Colonel Rashid Buallay, Pakistan Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman, Kuwait Air Force Commander Major General Abdulla Al Foudary, Lebanese Air Force Commander-in-Chief Brigadier General Ghassan Chahine and UK Royal Air Force Air Vice Marshal Gary Waterfall.
Moderators were former UK Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy, former Lockheed Martin Aeronautics customer requirements vice-president and retired general Gary North and retired US Marine Corps former deputy commandant for aviation Lieutenant General George Trautman.
raji@gdn.com.bh
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