We provided direct air support to Syrian rebels in eastern Syria:
Speaking from Baghdad via teleconference, Operation 'Inherent Resolve' spokesman Colonel Steven Warren said more than 1,000 members of the Syrian Arab Coalition (SAC) had "reclaimed approximately 255 km 2 of ground" in the vicinity of Al-Hawl: a town in Al-Hasakah province that is less than 15 km from the Iraqi border.
Col Warren said the coalition supported the operation with 17 airstrikes that killed 79 enemy fighters. He said US Air Force A-10 and AC-130 attack aircraft were involved in the strikes.
While I think our correct response to Russia's intervention in Syria is to focus on the Iraq front of the war on ISIL, I think operations like this in Syria around Al-Hawl are fully consistent since they fit in with interdicting the border to hinder ISIL efforts to rush reinforcements to stop a big coalition effort in Iraq (based on my overall view of the fight) should we ever finish up all the PowerPoint presentations required to start the big push on Ramadi and points west or Mosul.
How can we not be ready to defeat ISIL in Iraq by now?
And do we really believe that ISIL will just sit there and wait for us to finalize the perfect killing blow without doing something that will unravel our carefully prepared plans?
Here's an overview by Strategypage--which has been far more understanding of the time issue--of the situation in Iraq.
