Both Townsend and the Pentagon’s warnings are the result of what defense officials have called an “unusual” incident involving Syrian government aircraft attacking an area close to where US special operations forces were supporting Kurdish partners against ISIS.
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The US scrambled jets to protect its troops after the Syrian warplanes for the first time targeted Kurdish armed groups Washington is supporting on the ground.
While he did not say how long the pledge will take, Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend plans to speed up the campaign against ISIS and take back the cities “on my watch”.
But “as a soldier, I’m fairly skeptical of the Russians”, he said, adding he’s not inclined “to believe the coalition can cooperate with them”.
Gen. Townsend, who took over command from Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland on Sunday, said that acceleration would include intensified air and artillery strikes and also stepped-up efforts to equip and train local forces.
In response, the U.S. Intensified attacks by US and allied planes would give those local forces “the breathing space to do that”, he said.
The Islamic State group once controlled large swaths of Iraq and Syria, and has used Raqqa as the de facto capital of the group’s self-styled caliphate.
Gen. Townsend, a veteran of previous insurgent battles, appeared to be optimistic that despite what are expected to be extended campaigns, both cities would be ultimately fully recovered. The next day, the U.S.
Several US troops had to be quickly moved, and US jet patrols over northern Syria have been beefed up.
In addition, the US -backed Syrian Arab Coalition earlier this month took the northeastern Syrian city of Manbij, seen as a stepping stone for an eventual push against Raqqa, the self-proclaimed ISIS “capital”. Townsend said local Arab and Kurdish fighters, trained by the United States, could start moving into areas outside Raqqa in coming weeks.
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Defense Secretary Ash Carter speaks with Army Lt. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend, left, XVIII Airborne Corps commanding general, during a visit to Fort Bragg, N.C., July 27, 2016. The US contingent is though to number as many as 300.
