Un F-16 Fighting Falcon de l' US Air Force reçoit du carburant à partir d’un KC-135 Stratotanker, le 16 décembre 2014, dans le cadre de l’opération Inherent Resolve contre le groupe armé l’État islamique (Archives/sergent Chelsea Browning/US Air Force)

6 juin 2015 45eNord.ca (AFP)

La campagne de bombardements de la coalition menée par les États-Unis contre le groupe État islamique a permis de tuer « plus de 1.000″ combattants ennemis par mois, a déclaré vendredi l’un des généraux américains dirigeant l’opération.

Les raids aériens « ont un effet profond sur l’ennemi » et « ont retiré du champ de bataille plus d’un millier de combattants ennemis par mois », a estimé le général John Hesterman, chef de la composante aérienne du commandement militaire au Moyen-Orient, qui s’exprimait lors d’une conférence téléphonique depuis le Qatar.

L’administration Obama est critiquée aux États-Unis et à l’étranger sur l’efficacité de la campagne de bombardements, certains parlementaires et anciens officiers de l’US Air Force accusant notamment Washington de trop brider l’action de ses pilotes.

Le général a confirmé que dans environ 75% des missions, les avions reviennent sans avoir largué de bombe.

Mais « les comparaisons avec des conflits contre une armée régulière d’État nation ne s’appliquent pas », a estimé le général.

« Prendre pour cible une armée régulière est relativement facile », mais il est beaucoup plus difficile de viser les combattants du groupe djihadiste État islamique qui depuis le début se sont « plongés dans la population civile », a expliqué le général.

Les djihadistes ne se montrent pas à découvert en grands nombres, a-t-il expliqué.

Et la coalition doit aussi faire attention à distinguer entre les combattants de l’EI et les forces irakiennes, et à éviter les victimes civiles.

« Il n’a jamais été aussi difficile de faire la différence entre amis et ennemis qu’aujourd’hui en Irak », a estimé l’aviateur. « Il est impossible de les distinguer quand ils s’habillent de la même manière et utilisent le même équipement ».

Si des bombardements sur des forces irakiennes avaient eu lieu par erreur, « la coalition serait à mon avis déjà défaite depuis un bout de temps », a-t-il dit.

La présence à proximité des lieux de bombardements de contrôleurs aériens avancés (JTAC) capables de guider les frappes serait « probablement » utile, mais n’est pas nécessaire « pour l’instant », a encore jugé le général.

Le responsable militaire a par ailleurs réfuté le témoignage de pilotes rapportés dans des médias américains, qui regrettaient de devoir respecter des règles d’engagement trop strictes pour frapper les djihadistes.

La coalition peut donner son accord pour la plupart des frappes dans un temps qui se mesure « en minutes, pas en heure ou en demi-heure », a déclaré le général.

Depuis août 2014, la coalition a mené 15.675 missions aériennes, dont 4.423 ont donné lieu à un bombardement, selon ses chiffres.

Mais cette campagne de frappes n’a pas empêché les djihadistes ultra-radicaux de prendre la ville irakienne de Ramadi (ouest), suscitant les doutes sur l’efficacité de la stratégie suivie par l’administration Obama.

26.03.2015 Romandie.com (ats)

Les forces irakiennes, aidées par les Etats-Unis, sont reparties jeudi à l'assaut de la ville de Tikrit pour déloger les djihadistes du groupe Etat islamique. Washington a mené depuis mercredi 17 raids aériens sur cette ville située à 160 km au nord de Bagdad.

Les forces aériennes américaines n'étaient pas encore intervenues directement à Tikrit. La France a également effectué un raid, ont indiqué jeudi les commandements militaires des deux pays.

Les Etats-Unis ont longtemps exprimé leurs réticences à intervenir, en raison notamment du soutien actif de l'Iran aux milices chiites engagées dans la bataille. Mais la donne a changé mercredi lorsque le Premier ministre irakien Haider al-Abadi a réclamé des frappes.

Offensive terrestre relancée

Fortes de ce soutien aérien, les forces irakiennes ont relancé jeudi leur offensive terrestre, suspendue la semaine dernière en raison des nombreux engins explosifs disséminés par l'EI retranché à Tikrit.

Mais la bataille au sol engagée le 2 mars et présentée comme la plus massive depuis que l'EI s'est emparé l'an dernier de vastes pans de territoire en Irak, se fera désormais sans les milices chiites, selon Lloyd Austin, commandant des forces américaines au Moyen-Orient (Centcom).

Ces dernières, à qui Téhéran a notamment fourni de l'artillerie et des conseillers, "se sont retirées" de la zone de Tikrit et la bataille est maintenant menée par environ 4000 membres des forces spéciales et de la police irakienne, a précisé le général Austin.

Il était cependant impossible de confirmer jeudi si ce retrait était effectif sur le terrain.

"Aller de l'avant"

"Le gouvernement irakien devait être en charge de l'opération" pour que la coalition intervienne, c'était une "pré-condition", a encore expliqué le général lors d'une audition au Sénat américain. Ces propos faisaient écho à ceux d'un responsable américain qui avait indiqué que Barack Obama avait conditionné les frappes américaines à un rôle plus important des forces gouvernementales à Tikrit.

Le chef du Centcom a en outre dénoncé la "mauvaise approche" adoptée jusqu'alors à Tikrit. Il a aussi affirmé que la nouvelle configuration des combats permettrait d'"aller de l'avant".

March 19, 2015 Defense news (AFP)

WASHINGTON — Once a source of irritation for the United States, France has nudged aside Britain to become the US military's key European partner.

The growing ties between the two militaries were on display this month when France's top military officer, Gen. Pierre de Villiers, hosted his US counterpart, General Martin Dempsey, aboard France's aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle.

The French flagship, which arrived in the Gulf in February to take part in US-led air strikes on the Islamic State group, is operating under US command — a first for the French naval forces.

During the carrier's mission, US F-18 fighter jets have touched down on the deck of the De Gaulle and French Rafale fighters have visited American vessels.

On the deck of the carrier, the acrimony that plagued US-French relations 12 years ago over the American invasion of Iraq seemed a distant memory.

The new relationship is reflected in the warm rapport between the top generals, Dempsey and de Villiers, who have forged an "unmistakable" bond, according to Dempsey's spokesman, Col. Ed Thomas.

"That trust has influenced French and American officers many levels down," he said.

US commanders were also grateful when France took the lead in military operations against Islamist extremists in the Sahel region of Africa, with US forces providing logistical support and drones to back up the effort.

"I think it is quite clear that this is a significant new development," said author Linda Robinson of the RAND Corporation think tank.

"France is coming to the fore in a number of venues because their interests are aligning with US interests."

Activist Ally

One French officer boasted to AFP: "France at the moment is the most activist, most engaged European ally."

Over the past decade, France initially sought defense partners inside the European Union but found itself frustrated with Germany's more cautious view of military power.

Paris then promoted a partnership with the British military, but the much-touted effort proved disappointing, said Chris Chivvis, a former Pentagon official.

"In the last two-and-a-half years or so, there's been an increasing shift toward looking to cooperate with the United States," Chivvis said.

The evolution began with France's decision in 2009 to join NATO's integrated command structure, an acknowledgement by Paris that it needed allies to mount operations.

And on crucial security issues, France — even more than Britain — has recently found itself in agreement with the United States.

France played a leading role in the 2011 air war in Libya and adopted a tough stance on Iran's nuclear program that resembles and even goes beyond Washington's view.

In 2013, France — not Britain — stood alone with Washington in support of possible military action against the Syrian regime over its use of chemical weapons.

And last year France quickly signed up to join the air campaign against the IS group in Iraq.

The trend, through both conservative and socialist governments in France, has been a relatively "hawkish" line, Chivvis said.

More than anything, France's swift intervention in Mali in 2013, which halted an alarming advance by Islamist extremists, made an impression at the Pentagon.

"It surprised the Americans," a French diplomat said.

The Mali operation, involving more than 4,000 troops, was a "watershed," Robinson said. It conveyed that France could be relied on to check terror threats in northwest Africa.

France's robust posture coincides with the Obama administration's recognition that the United States cannot always be in the lead and wants allies to help share the burden.

"The Americans need partners that have capabilities and the will to engage and project military power," the French diplomat said.

France Over Britain?

Britain, meanwhile, long seen as America's closest military ally, is struggling to cope with intense budget pressures that have drastically scaled back its forces.

The long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have taken a toll on British hardware and on public support for more foreign missions.

British commanders are warning the cutbacks could gut the force, and US officials have made known their concern that it would no longer be an effective ally in expeditions abroad.

Although France has an aircraft carrier, and Britain has none while it waits for construction of new ships, the two countries' forces remain roughly equivalent.

And Paris faces similar constraints on its military budget.

But it is France's willingness to deploy troops swiftly into harm's way that has set it apart from Britain in the past few years.

That does not mean that the so-called US "special relationship" with Britain has been replaced with a new entente cordiale.

The partnerships are "different in nature," Chivvis said, and US and British forces and intelligence services have been collaborating for decades.

That level of integration, he said, "is much tighter than the US-France relationship is going to be any time soon, if ever."

SOUTHWEST ASIA, March 12, 2015 – From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of the latest strikes, which took place between 8 a.m. yesterday and 8 a.m. today, local time, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

No airstrikes were conducted in Syria during the specified timeframe, officials added.

Airstrikes in Iraq

Fighter, attack and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 13 airstrikes in Iraq:

-- Near Asad, an airstrike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL vehicles.

-- Near Qaim, an airstrike struck an ISIL staging area.

-- Near Fallujah, three airstrikes struck an ISIL large tactical unit, two ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL vehicle.

-- Near Kirkuk, five airstrikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed five ISIL excavators, three ISIL vehicles and an ISIL vehicle bomb.

-- Near Mosul, an airstrike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed four ISIL armored vehicles.

-- Near Ramadi, an airstrike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

-- Near Sinjar, an airstrike struck an ISIL large tactical unit and destroyed three ISIL buildings and an ISIL vehicle.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, the region, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations conducting airstrikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations conducting airstrikes in Syria include the United States, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Syria Situation Report  March 2-10, 2015 credits ISW

March 11, 2015: Strategy Page

ISIL is having problems with its foreign recruits. Many of them arrive with the intention of simply living in an “Islamic state” not fighting to expand that state. ISIL tried to accommodate the foreigners, lest they return home and report unfavorably about life in ISIL controlled territory. This led to foreign recruits getting better treatment (housing, food, access to “wives” and all manner of creature comforts. This, naturally, led to resentment by local (Syria and Iraq) recruits. That led to more locals deserting, joining the growing number of foreigners who simply walked away. Or tried to walk away as in late 20134 ISIL began accusing those who left of desertion and jailing or executing them. This inspired more (but better planned) desertions and growing dissent within both the ranks and among commanders. ISIL does want skilled foreigners in their caliphate but most of the foreign volunteers have no useful skills and ISIL seeks to use them as fighters or suicide bombers. Few people with useful skills are eager to join ISIL.

Internal criticism is not the only problem ISIL is facing in 2015. ISIL has recently suffered prominent defeats in Iraq and Syria as well as continued rebellions in both countries. Even the Syrian Army is retaking ground from ISIL. The Kurds are defeating ISIL forces outside Kobane in Syria and near the Iraq border. In Iraq Kurds, Iraqi soldiers and Sunni and Shia militias are both stopping ISIL attacks and pushing back ISIL forces outside of Mosul, Kirkuk and Tikrit. An offensive to retake Mosul is expected before June. Meanwhile air attacks not only continue but are more frequent and more damaging. This makes it more difficult to stockpile supplies or move large numbers of gunmen quickly. More leaders are being found and killed by these air attacks. Important economic targets like oil refineries are being destroyed. Inside the ISIL run “caliphate” (eastern Syria and western Iraq) there are growing shortages of everything and ISIL is finding that conquest is easier than running an economy. The economic problems fuel the rebellions and desertions and it’s a vicious circle that is destroying ISIL from within. The problem with ISIL is that so far it has solved its supply (logistical) problems via looting. But there has been no new conquests to loot for over six months and the stockpiles of plunder taken in 2014 is nearly exhausted. It’s another example of the old military maxim, “amateurs study tactics while professionals study logistics.” The accountants always win in the end.

The forces arrayed against ISIL have a better grasp of the logistical problems and have done something with that awareness. Thus Kurdish and Iraqi forces operating along the border with Syria have cut the best supply routes between Syria and Iraq. ISIL can still move between these two areas but with greater difficulty (using more fuel and time to do so). Taking longer to travel puts ISIL more at greater risk of attack by coalition warplanes. Worse, it becomes impractical to move essential supplies (especially food and fuel) between Iraq and Syria. The increasingly effective air attacks have also made ISIL more paranoid. This has led to greater scrutiny of foreign recruits. That resulted in a recent video showing a 10 year old ISIL “cub” shooting a kneeling foreigner in the head with a pistol. The executed man was a 19 year old Israeli Arab accused of spying for Israel. That is not completely unlikely but the Israelis don’t usually recruits men this young or unreliable. The executed man was reported by his family to have joined ISIL in October 2014. His family opposed the move and stayed in touch via sell phone and the Internet. In early 2015 the family discovered that their son had been imprisoned by ISIL for trying to leave. Apparently someone at ISIL thought they could make something of this by accusing the teenager of espionage and executing him on video. ISIL is all about grabbing media attention but in this case they are not doing much to increase recruitment among Israeli Arabs or Palestinians. Other ISIL deserters have even worse situations. Many locals serving with ISIL who desert are already deserters from the Syrian security forces and those with families living in Syrian government controlled areas have nowhere to go and are subject to arrest and execution by both ISIL and the Syrian government. Most of these men join the growing number of Syrians leaving the country and heading for refugee camps in Turkey, Lebanon or Jordan.

The coalition air offensive has carried out over 2,600 air strikes since August 2014 and used over 3,000 smart bombs and missiles in those attacks. Even more worrisome is the increasingly aggressive anti-ISIL actions of neighboring nations. Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan have increased border security and in Lebanon the army has forced ISIL and other rebel groups out of bases they set up in Lebanon and back into Syria. Worse the Lebanese followed up this with more troops on the border in fortified camps. In other words the Lebanese are preparing to confront any attempts by Syrian rebels to move back into Syria. While the Jordanians are enraged and more active because ISIL murdered one of their F-16 pilots in January by burning him to death the Turks are more concerned with Kurdish separatism than any threat from ISIL or any other Islamic terrorists. The Turks have been dealing (often using great brutality) with murderous Arabs for centuries and the Arabs remember all that. As a result ISIL does not make any effort to expand into Turkey. For the Turks, their ugly treatment of Arabs in the past is still useful because many Arabs fear that the Turks would go all old school on them if sufficiently provoked.

Meanwhile the coalition assembled by the United States in mid-2014 continues to have problems because the Arab members cannot agree with each other on how to deal with ISIL. Some countries, like Qatar, have many citizens and leaders who approve of Islamic terrorism (although not ISIL, which even al Qaeda condemns). Arab oil states in the Persian Gulf are more concerned with Iran than with ISIL and criticize the United States for not sending ground troops back to Iraq to take care of ISIL. Many Arabs blame the United States for al Qaeda and ISIL despite the fact that such violent, xenophobic Islamic terror groups have been around for centuries, and the less violence majority of Moslems has never mustered the will to deal with this recurring problem once and for all.

ISIL also has to worry about some of its allies. In the last year ISIL has persuaded many Syrian Islamic terrorist rebels to switch sides. These Islamic terrorists joined the fight against ISIL in early 2014 but eventually agreed to put aside their differences and join ISIL in destroying the Assad government. These new allies still hate and wish to destroy ISIL, and now find that the Assad government has not been weakened much by this alliance and the Syrian Army is again on the offensive. The coalition air strikes, which should be directed at the Assads were instead concentrating on ISIL and those groups associated with ISIL. Thus a major ally of ISIL, al Qaeda affiliate al Nusra, recently lost its leader to a recent coalition air strike. There have been more air strikes this year, after ISIL released a video of a captured Jordanian pilot being burned to death. Groups like al Nusra, which used to get a lot of cash and other aid from wealthy Arab fans in Gulf oil states saw that disappear because of the grisly execution video. ISIL now has to plan for the growing possibility that al Nusra will change sides again, because ISIL is beginning to look like a loser and that is a death sentence for Islamic terrorists. As the popular Islamic saying goes; “God wills it.” This describes fortune as well as failure, the blessed as well as the cursed.

ISIL savagery has led many of the minorities (especially Christians) that it loves to torment to stand and fight rather than flee. Thus in the northeast Christian militias have gotten stronger and joined forces with their sometimes (in the past) Kurdish allies to fight the common enemy. This is in response to a sharp increase in ISIL anti-Christian violence in late 2014. Many Christians are sticking around and fighting in part because ISIL has kidnapped over 200 local Christians (and some Kurds as well) in the last few months and is offering to return them for ransoms (cash or captive ISIL men or weapons). The cash ransoms demanded are not large (under $2,000 per person) but ISIL would rather get captives and weapons back. ISIL has growing shortages of cash, recruits and weapons. But many Christians and Kurds who have already lost kin do not want to make any deals with ISIL and would rather just kill the Islamic terrorists. Since the Kurds have air support, they are very good at that and ISIL is increasingly reluctant to get tied down in battles with Kurds. In addition to being skilled and disciplined fighters, the Kurds can eventually depend on help from above if a battle with ISIL drags on too long. But even the Syrian troops are betting better, apparently because of training, weapons and advice they are getting from Iran. The Lebanese Hezbollah are similarly unlikely to run away when they run into ISIL. The good old days of simply terrifying your opponent into fleeing appear to be over. In this case the good old days really were better, at least for ISIL.

On the Syrian border Israel is working more with Syrian rebels (except ISIL) to help stop Iran from establishing a presence in the area so they can launch attacks into Israel. Iranians have been bragging about doing this and Iran has sent more senior officers to work with Hezbollah and the Syrian Army efforts to clear all the rebels away from the Israeli border. Iran is also bringing in thousands of additional Iranian volunteers to join rebel militias in the fight against the rebels. Naturally the rebels oppose this Iranian effort and now see Israel as an ally. Israel has provided support for some rebels with the understanding that the rebels would not attack Israel and would help prevent anyone else from doing so. Thus Israel stays in contact with some Syrian rebels across its border, provides medical treatment (for over 2,000 rebels and civilians so far) and attacks Hezbollah and Syrian Army targets when there is any fire into Israel from the Syrian side. The rebels often provide Israel with data on where hidden Syrian Army or Hezbollah units are, providing Israeli warplanes and artillery with precise and conformed targets. While some of these “cooperative rebels” are Islamic radicals and will eventually turn on Israel if given a chance, for the moment the policy is “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

March 5, 2015:  ISIL ally al Nusra admitted that their supreme leader died of wounds he suffered in a recent coalition air strike on a meeting of al Nusra leaders near the Turkish border. Some lower ranking leaders were also killed.

March 4, 2015: The Hazm Movement, one of the few Islamic rebel groups that were not allied with ISIL or al Qaeda, officially dissolved. Hazm has been at war with al Nusra since late 2014, after years of growing tensions. In the end there were only a few hundred Hazm members left. At its peak in 2012-13 Hazm had ten times that. Al Nusra and ISIL continued to fight Hazm outside Aleppo and near the Turkish border (Idib province). Hazm had long received American weapons although many of these were seized by al Nusra when Hazm was forced to retreat in 2014.  Despite the loss of Hazm the Syrian Army is still holding onto recent gains around Aleppo.

UN efforts to get the army and rebels to agree to cease fires to allow humanitarian aid to get in continue to be rejected, even though the fighting is stalled. The Syrian government was so annoyed at UN efforts to make deals with the Islamic terrorist rebels (without informing the Assads) that they recently expelled three UN officials, just the make the point that the Syrian government is still around. Yet the UN remains quite hostile to the Assads who are seen as little better than ISIL when it comes to mistreatment of civilians. The UN believes that Syrian air and artillery attacks have been the major cause of civilian deaths. The UN estimates that over 7,000 civilians have died in Syria in the last year and over 80 percent of those deaths were caused by the Syrian government (which has lots of artillery and a functioning air force).

March 2, 2015: Israel claims that Syria has transferred some long range (700 kilometers) SCUD ballistic missiles to Hezbollah. These missiles carry a half ton high-explosive warhead. These SCUDs are actually North Korean variants on the original Russian SCUD that have a smaller warhead to enable longer range. Syria is giving them to Hezbollah to free up troops who have been guarding them and to avoid the risk of them getting captured. Israel has an anti-missile defense system that can stop these Scuds, as well as the other long range (about 200 kilometers) rockets Hezbollah has received from Iran and Syria.

March 1, 2015: In February about 1,100 Iraqis died from terrorist related violence. That’s about 20 percent less than January, when nearly 1,400 died. The Iraq death toll for all of 2014 was about 15,600. That’s a big jump from 2013 when the death toll was 8,900 for all of Iraq and only ten percent of those were terrorists while the majority were Shia civilians. Previously the worst year was 2007, when nearly 18,000 died. Then as now the main cause of the mayhem and murder was Sunni fanatics who want to run the country as a Sunni dictatorship. Still Iraq was a lot less violent than neighboring Syria where the 2014 death toll was 76,000. That’s over 91,000 dead in the two countries where ISIL is most active. The death toll in Syria continues to rise, even as it is declining in Iraq.

February 21, 2015:  Hundreds of Turkish troops advanced into Syria to evacuate 38 Turkish soldiers guarding the grave of one of the founders of the Ottoman Empire. The grave site was increasingly threatened by nearby ISIL gunmen. Rather than send more troops to defend the grave site (27 kilometers from the Turkish border) the honored corpse was moved to a site 200 meters inside Syria. The previous site was established in 1973 when the nearby original site was covered by a lake created by a newly built dam. Syria agreed to this arrangement, which is protected by international treaty. This latest move was very unpopular inside Turkey, where disdain for Arabs is not hidden.

February 20, 2015: Russian intelligence officials believe that about 1,700 Russian citizens (mainly Moslems from the Caucasus and Central Asia) are fighting for ISIL in Syria and Iraq. Russia believes this is about ten percent of ISIL strength.

February 19, 2015: Turkey and the United States formally agreed to (and finally signed) a deal that has Turkey hosting and assisting in the training of Syrian rebels. The U.S. has so far screened nearly 2,000 Syrian rebels to be sent to training at camps in Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Those selected are believed much less likely to be radicalized and the United States hopes to have 3,000 trained and in action by the end of 2015. Such screening is difficult but the Americans had help from Saudi Arabia, which has had more success in that respect. The American effort is criticized for being too slow and producing too few armed and trained fighters to make a difference. At the moment American government policy limits what U.S. counter-terrorism efforts can do. Under these conditions the Americans plan to use their reliable rebels to call in air strikes and provide accurate information of what is going on inside Syria. This decision is based on the success the U.S. has had with the Kurds. Thus the Americans are trying to find equally reliable Arab rebels in Syria to call in air strikes. Using contacts the Kurds have developed over the years the U.S. is seeking small teams of Arab rebels who can be taught how to call in airstrikes. These teams will be equipped with armed (with a machine-gun) pickup trucks and the special radios and sent them back to Syria. This is risky, as all it takes is one rogue air strike team to get the wrong people killed and cause a diplomatic and media mess. This is considered a worthwhile risk because, as the experience with the Kurds has shown, the ISIL fighters are often sloppy during combat (because so many ISIL fighters have little training or combat experience) and that provides excellent opportunities for a single smart bomb to cause enormous (and demoralizing and often decisive) casualties. This is what happened at Kobane, where even ISIL had to admit they got beat, big time because of all those air strikes.

10/03/2015 Sources : Etat-major des armées

Le 8 mars 2015, le chef d’état-major des armées (CEMA), le général Pierre de Villiers, a reçu son homologue américain le général Martin Dempsey à bord du porte-avions Charles de Gaulle qui est déployé, avec le groupe aéronaval, dans le nord du golfe arabo-persique dans le cadre des opérations conduites contre le groupe terroriste Daech en Irak.

Le groupe aéronaval est intégré depuis le 31 janvier dernier à la Task Force 50, sous commandement tactique américain. Depuis le 23 février, il participe à l’opération Chammal, aux côtés des moyens déployés dans la région par l’armée de l’air depuis le 19 septembre 2014. Dans quelques jours, il assurera seul la permanence aéronavale dans le golfe arabo-persique, afin de permettre la relève entre l’USS Carl Vinson et l’USSTheodore Roosevelt.

Si la présence des deux CEMA américain et français sur le porte-avions Charles de Gaulle  constitue un événement, leur rencontre s’inscrit en revanche dans un cadre beaucoup plus habituel. Les deux hommes s’entretiennent en effet régulièrement pour partager leurs analyses stratégiques.

Dimanche, leurs échanges ont portés sur la situation en Irak. A cette occasion, le général de Villiers a insisté sur la nécessité d’intégrer le temps long dans cette opération, tout en posant la question des conditions du règlement de la crise, au-delà des seules opérations militaires. Plus largement, les deux CEMA ont confirmé leur détermination à agir contre la menace terroriste qui pèse sur le flanc Sud de l’Europe. Que ce soit dans la bande sahélo-saharienne, avec l’opération Barkhane où la France agit en « leader », ou en Irak où elle intervient en partenaire d’une coalition conduite par les Etats-Unis, ils sont convenus de l’importance à accorder à la coopération interalliée.

L’engagement du groupe-aéronaval au sein de la Task Force 50  incarne cette dynamique de coopération et ce haut niveau de confiance atteint par la France et les Etats-Unis. Au-delà du symbole, il vient concrétiser les progrès accomplis en termes d’interopérabilité de nos forces : « Quand je vois derrière moi des marins, des pilotes, américains et français tous ensemble, cela veut bien dire que nous construisons de la confiance mutuelle, à tous niveaux », a ainsi souligné  le général Dempsey.

REPERE

Lancée le 19 septembre 2014, l’opération Chammal mobilise 3 200 militaires. Elle vise, à la demande du gouvernement irakien et en coordination avec les alliés de la France présents dans la région, à assurer un soutien aérien aux forces irakiennes dans la lutte contre le groupe terroriste autoproclamé Daech. Le dispositif complet est actuellement structuré autour de douze avions de chasse de l’armée de l’Air (six Rafale et six Mirage 2000D), d’un avion de patrouille maritime Atlantique 2, et du groupe aéronaval composé notamment du porte-avions Charles de Gaulle avec à bord 12 Rafale Marine et 9 Super Etendard Modernisés.

Mar. 8, 2015 U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Scott Fenaroli/Released

Aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), left, and French nuclear aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle (R91) transit the Northern Arabian Gulf. Carl Vinson is deployed in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, strike operations in Iraq and Syria as directed, maritime security operations, and theater security cooperation efforts in the region.

More pictures

Video posted by Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently purportedly showing fireball in sky after air strike on oil refinery outside Tal Abyad, Syria (8 March 2015)

9 March 2015 BBC MidEast

At least 14 people have been killed in US-led coalition air strikes on an oil refinery in northern Syria run by Islamic State (IS), activists say.

Refinery workers and jihadist militants were among those who died in the raid on the facility outside Tal Abyad. One activist group posted a video purportedly showing a fireball rising into the night sky after the attack. Captured refineries and oil fields have played a key role in fuelling Islamic State's advance across Syria and Iraq. Last year, the group may have earned as much as $100m (£66m) from the sale of oil and oil products to local smugglers who, in turn, sell them to the Syrian government and merchants in neighbouring countries. However, US officials say the group's ability to use oil as a source of revenue is now believed to be diminishing due to the air strikes.

Read more

A bord du PA Charles de Gaulle, 8 mars 2015 Marine & Océans (AFP)

Le général Martin Dempsey, le plus haut gradé américain, a prévenu dimanche lors d'une visite sur le porte-avions français Charles de Gaulle qu'accélérer les frappes aériennes de la coalition internationale antijihadistes serait une erreur.

Le chef d'état-major inter-armées américain a plaidé pour une "patience stratégique" dans la lutte que livre la coalition menée par les Etats-Unis au groupe Etat islamique (EI) en Irak et en Syrie.

"Larguer un tapis de bombes sur l'Irak n'est pas la solution", a-t-il affirmé à bord du bâtiment français qui participe à cette opération depuis fin février dans les eaux du Golfe.

"Nous avons la responsabilité d'être très précis dans l'usage de notre puissance aérienne", a expliqué le général Dempsey, assurant qu'augmenter le rythme des raids accentuerait les risques pour les populations civiles, ce qui pourrait alimenter en retour la propagande jihadiste.

"Cela signifie qu'il faut prendre le temps" de rassembler des renseignements précis sur les cibles possibles, a-t-il ajouté.

Le militaire américain a aussi indiqué que la fréquence des bombardements aériens dépendait des capacités de l'armée irakienne sur le terrain et de la volonté du gouvernement de Bagdad de se réconcilier avec la population arabe sunnite, méfiante envers les forces de sécurité.

L'EI a en effet profité du sentiment de marginalisation de cette population sous les gouvernements irakiens majoritairement chiites de ces dernières années pour s'emparer en juin de vastes territoires au nord et à l'ouest de l'Irak, majoritairement arabes sunnites.

En lançant il y a peu la bataille pour reprendre Tikrit à l'EI, le Premier ministre irakien a d'ailleurs appelé les forces pro-gouvernementales à faire de la sécurité des civils leur "priorité".

Le général Dempsey, qui s'exprimait dimanche aux côtés de son homologue français, le général Pierre de Villiers, a également souligné qu'il n'y avait pas besoin d'augmenter le nombre de militaires américains présents en Irak dans le cadre de la lutte antijihadistes. Ces 2.600 hommes sont chargés de conseiller et entraîner l'armée de Bagdad, car cette dernière n'était pas prête pour un effort de plus grande envergure.

"Nous avons des conseillers qui attendent (encore) que certaines unités irakiennes se présentent", a dit le responsable militaire américain. "Et quand elles se sont présentées, une poignée d'entre elles étaient affaiblies et parfois sous-équipées".

Le Charles de Gaulle effectue une mission de huit semaines dans le Golfe dans le cadre de la coalition dirigée par Washington.

Selon des officiers français, de 10 à 15 avions décollent chaque jour du porte-avions pour des missions au-dessus de l'Irak.

La visite du général Dempsey sur ce bâtiment, inhabituelle pour un chef d'état-major inter-armées américain, illustre les bonnes relations entre les deux armées et les deux pays en général, loin des dissensions nées de l'invasion américaine en Irak en 2003.

March 06, 2015 CJTF - Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA - Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve delivered precise and effective airstrikes on enemy positions in and around Al Baghdadi, in support of the Iraqi Government's fight against ISIL. Iraqi Security Forces and Tribal Fighters from the Anbar region have successfully cleared Al Baghdadi of ISIL, retaking both the police station and three Euphrates River bridges. The bridges have been held by ISIL since last September. Furthermore, the Iraqi Security Forces with Coalition support, succeeded in pushing ISIL from seven villages northwest of Al Baghdadi on the road to Hadithah.

From Feb. 22 - March 6, in support of the Government of Iraq's (GOI) campaign to defeat ISIL, the Coalition executed 26 airstrikes to facilitate the maneuver of the Iraqi Security Forces and their successful attacks. In addition to airstrikes, the Coalition supported the operation with surveillance assets and Advise and Assist teams who provided operational and intelligence assistance to Iraqi Security Force Headquarters Elements, which helped to enable them to successfully conduct the offensive operation.

The CJTF-OIR Coalition will continue supporting efforts on behalf of all Iraqi Security Forces and the GoI, to attack and defeat ISIL. Iraqi Security Forces now hold the gains they have made and are postured to retake additional territory from ISIL in the Anbar region.

21-02-2015 Par Jean-Louis Pourtet correspondant à Washington, RFI

Washington vient d’annoncer que l’armée irakienne allait tenter de reprendre Mossoul au groupe Etat islamique lors d’une offensive qui devrait être déclenchée au printemps. Cette annonce du Pentagone a fait froncer quelques sourcils aux Etats-Unis.

L’offensive devrait être lancée fin avril ou en mai, avant le Ramadan, avec la participation de 20 000 à 25 000 soldats irakiens. Si la reprise de Mossoul serait un revers pour l’organisation Etat islamique, nombreux sont ceux qui doutent que l’armée irakienne soit prête pour une telle opération. Personne n’a oublié la débandade des forces irakiennes lors de l’arrivée des combattants islamistes à Mossoul en juin dernier. Le Pentagone déclare que les Irakiens sont maintenant mieux entraînés et qu’ils bénéficieront de l’aide des peshmergas kurdes irakiens et des raids aériens de la coalition.

Suite de l’article

3 Février 2015 defens-aero.com

Le Royaume-Uni, ou plus précisément la Royal Air Force, est l'un des pays européens qui participe à la coalition internationale qui frappe quotidiennement l'autoproclamé Etat Islamique en Irak et/ou en Syrie, selon les choix politiques réalisés par les gouvernements au pouvoir.

Depuis le 26 Septembre donc, le contingent britannique, stationné sur la base aérienne d'Akrotiri, est composé de huit Tornado GR.4, d'un C-130J Super Hercules, d'un ravitailleur A330 MRTT, d'un avion de reconnaissance RC-135W, et de quatre MQ-9 Reaper. Dorénavant, il faut y greffer un E-3D Sentry AWACS, appartenant au 8 Squadron, et habituellement stationnée sur la base aérienne anglaise de Waddington.

En effet, dans un communiqué publié Vendredi 30 Janvier, la Royal Air Force a officialisé le déploiement d'un E-3 Sentry, toujours sur la base aérienne d'Akrotiri, à Chypre, aux côtés des autres aéronefs britanniques. L'appareil, qui a atterri sur la base anglaise deux jours plus tôt, le Mercredi 28 janvier, est intégré dans l'opération Shader, qui est le nom choisi Londres pour cette opération.

Suite de l’article

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Jan. 12, 2015 – From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of the latest strikes, which took place between 8 a.m. yesterday and 8 a.m. today, local time, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Airstrikes in Syria

Attack, fighter and bomber aircraft conducted 11 airstrikes in Syria:

-- Near Kobani, nine airstrikes struck two large ISIL units and an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed 10 ISIL fighting positions, five ISIL buildings and two ISIL staging positions.

-- Near Abu Kamal, an airstrike destroyed an ISIL excavator.

-- Near Dawr az Zawr, an airstrike struck an ISIL oil refinery.

Airstrikes in Iraq

Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 16 airstrikes in Iraq:

-- Near Beiji, four airstrikes struck four ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions.

-- Near Taji, an airstrike struck an ISIL tactical unit.

-- Near Qaim, two airstrikes destroyed two ISIL armored vehicles and 10 ISIL fighting positions.

-- Near Ramadi, an airstrike struck an ISIL tactical unit and an ISIL vehicle.

-- Near Tal Afar, an airstrike destroyed an ISIL artillery system and an ISIL checkpoint.

-- Near Asad, an airstrike destroyed an ISIL rocket launcher and an ISIL vehicle.

-- Near Sinjar, an airstrike struck a large ISIL unit and destroyed two ISIL buildings.

-- Near Mosul, five airstrikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and two large ISIL units and destroyed four ISIL vehicles, an ISIL VBIED, two ISIL armored vehicles, an ISIL semi-truck, an ISIL mortar system, three ISIL buildings, three ISIL boats and an ISIL tank.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, the region, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations conducting airstrikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations conducting airstrikes in Syria include the United States, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.