Col. Steve Warren, spokesman for the U.S.-led Operation Inherent Resolve against IS, is giving a press briefing:
Question on whether pace of fight against IS is "extremely slow"
Fight in Ramadi has been going on for 4-5 months now. Has retaking of Ramadi gone on too long?
I don't think it's going slow, it's going at the pace it has to go. We all want wars to go faster but in this case the claims that the pace is wrong are made by an uninformed observer.
Col. Steve Warren, spokesman for the U.S.-led Operation Inherent Resolve against IS, is giving a press briefing:
Our relationship with Iraqi government is extremely good.
We talk to them on a daily basis about our common goal which is defeating [IS]
Iraqi government has made clear to us that it is not interested in any forces coming into Iraq that are not invited.
Col. Steve Warren, spokesman for the U.S.-led Operation Inherent Resolve against IS, is giving a press briefing:
Question about a report that the U.S.is acquiescing to Russian efforts to keep American manned aircraft out of the skies, that there is a Russian SA-17 (Buk missile system) that is disrupting things.
The report is incorrect. We continue manned and unmanned.
We know where the SA17 is, it is in Aleppo but we are continuing to strike wherever we want to strike.
Col. Steve Warren, spokesman for the U.S.-led Operation Inherent Resolve against IS, is giving a press briefing:
Answering a question about Russian air defense systems in Syria:
There has not been a significant disruption to our operations.
We are aware of them and we have ability to continue our operations unabated.
The Russians do not dictate how we carry out our operations.
Col. Steve Warren, spokesman for the U.S.-led Operation Inherent Resolve against IS, is giving a press briefing:
While this fight happening along the Kurdish flank we were striking multiple targets in Raqqa in Syria.
We were simultaneously knocking that flanking attack back and striking IS in its heart.
Col. Steve Warren, spokesman for the U.S.-led Operation Inherent Resolve against IS, is giving a press briefing:
Warren says there were significant fights in Ramadi and northern Iraq this week.
IS is able to muster defense but ISF able to repel their efforts.
In Ramadi -- on Tuesday IS was able to push Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) off the Palestine bridge in Ramadi then sent a VBIED truck bomb toward Ramadi Ops Center. But ISF able to destroy the VBIED. ISF were able to regain the Palestine Bridge.
IS assault in northern Iraq on Kurdish Peshmerga positions:
Fight began at 16:17 hours on Wednesday, with rocket fire near Tal Aswad.
Kicked off battalion sized attack, breached berms using construction vehicles and excavators.
Coalition forces responded.
Steve Warren, the Spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), the U.S. military operation against IS, is giving a press briefing.
Operations have included:
-- Hitting IS oil targets to disrupt finances.
-- Trained nearly 16,000 Iraqi troops while it is engaged in combat ops.
Steve Warren, the Spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), the U.S. military operation against IS, is giving a press briefing.
Some main points:
-- Warren started with an operational update.
In Iraq:
-- Close fights in Baiji in Iraq. Clearing operations to clear up pockets of resistance, mainly in Makhmur mountains.
-- Sinjar -- supporting Peshmerga with air strikes.
-- Fallujah -- ISF moved troops near the city.
-- Hit -- disrupting command and control through air strikes.
An American husband and wife team helped more than 100 Iraqi Christian refugees escape IS terror threats in their homeland and flee to Europe, ABC News reports.
Russia's Foreign Ministry has tweeted this photo of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in New York for a International Syria Support Group meeting.