US and coalition aircraft have conducted dozens of airstrikes to support a Turkish military advance on ISIS, shortly after Turkey and Russia conducted joint operations in the same location. Coalition aircraft have conducted 35 strikes since Jan. 1, dropping 101 bombs near the town of Al Bab in Syria targeting equipment, artillery, fighting positions, tunnels, and command and control nodes, said Air Force Col. John Dorrian, spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve. “The enemy in Al Bab is in deep trouble, with Turkish military and partner forces converging on the city from the northwest, coalition forces pounding the enemy from the air and regime forces approaching from the south,” Dorrian said during a Wednesday briefing. The battle space is “complicated” because Russian aircraft have conducted operations there, so the coalition headquarters are using the deconfliction channel to keep the skies safe, Dorrian said. In early January, Turkish and Russian aircraft conducted joint operations hitting ISIS targets in the town, a move that US officials said was complicating but not concerning.
As commander of Air Forces Central, Lt. Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich has been at the heart of almost all U.S. military action in the Middle East, from overseeing airstrikes against Iranian proxy groups to protecting troops as America’s air defense commander for the region. Just before handing over his command to…