DoD Official: Successful Syrian Strikes Only the Beginning…God Bless Our Troops

 press release September 23, 2014

By Cheryl Pellerin
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23, 2014 – Successful U.S. military and partner nation strikes last night against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL, were only the beginning of the fight to degrade and defeat the brutal terrorist group, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Adm. John Kirby said today.

Army Lt. Gen. William C. Mayville Jr., director of operations for the Joint Staff, describes the airstrikes U.S. and coalition forces conducted on ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq during a press briefing at the Pentagon, Sept. 23, 2014. DoD photo by Casper Manlangit. (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

Coalition partners in the strikes included Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, with Qatar in a supporting role, the admiral said during a press briefing here, adding that all continue to be a critical part of the strategy against ISIL.

\”Secretary Hagel appreciates their partnership and in particular the hard work and the strong leadership shown by our Central Command Commander Gen. Lloyd Austin,\” who kept Hagel updated throughout the operation, Kirby added.

Hagel is also \”immensely proud of the U.S. personnel who participated in and supported these missions,\” the admiral said, \”and he deeply appreciates their service and their sacrifices.\”

About the operation itself, Kirby said Centcom did not coordinate with the Assad regime.

\”While the United States did inform the Syrian regime through our U.N. ambassador of our intent to take action, there was no coordination and no military-to-military communication.\”