Release No. 20220811-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BAGHDAD- Members of the Global Coalition met with local community leaders Aug. 9, 2022, in al-Hasakah, Syria, to discuss community members’ concerns about recent military activity in northeast Syria. Officials reaffirmed the Global Coalition’s commitment to advising, assisting, and enabling regional partners to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS in the region.
“While greatly diminished, ISIS is still a threat to the people of Syria and the greater region. We remain committed to working alongside our partners to prevent the resurgence of the genocidal campaign and hateful ideology of ISIS,” said Maj. Gen. John Brennan, the commander of Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, the military component of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. “By providing our partners with resources and support, we contribute to their continued development into a self-sufficient security force providing safety and stability for their communities.”
Brennan further called on all partners to maintain focus on counter-ISIS operations and condemned actions by third party actors who attempt to disrupt those operations and threaten the security of the civilian population.
“We denounce the killing of civilians by any and all armed groups,” Brennan added. “ISIS is a global problem, and the Coalition remains focused on our defeat-ISIS mandate and in the application of continuous pressure on ISIS remnants so they cannot reconstitute.
The Coalition and our SDF partners remain steadfast in our shared goal of ensuring the lasting defeat of ISIS,” he said.
ISIS routinely engages in illicit smuggling and human trafficking to fund their criminal activity. This week, Global Coalition forces provided critical medical aid and support to partner force members wounded during these counter-smuggling operations. This continued cooperation ensures that our partners receive immediate life-saving medical care, and enables the continuance of the defeat-ISIS mission.
As part of its broad efforts, the Global Coalition also supports critical humanitarian missions such as the USAID enhanced food security program in northeast Syria. As part of this program, USAID imported and distributed high-quality wheat seeds to farmers in Hasakah and Deir ez-Zour last fall, which has helped local farmers produce 35,000 tons of wheat. As the military component of the Global Coalition, CJTF-OIR helps its vetted partners in NE Syria maintain security so that important humanitarian missions like this USAID seed program can continue. This program helps support wheat production in the region, enabling access to affordable bread, and is just one example of the Global Coalition’s contributions to humanitarian missions in the region.
CJTF-OIR officials emphasized that a multi-faceted international response to regional crises is needed, and affirmed the Coalition’s commitment to sustain both military and civil efforts to address these crises.
“Our goal is to ensure the continued military defeat of ISIS and prevent their resurgence,” Brennan said. “This mission relies upon ongoing combined efforts with international and regional partners.”
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