American A-10s and AC-130 Spectre gunships destroyed 283 ISIS oil tanker trucks in Syria on Nov. 22, bringing the total number of ISIS fuel trucks destroyed in operation Tidal Wave II to 399, the spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve told reporters Tuesday. Army Col. Steve Warren, speaking via a video link from Baghdad, said coalition airstrikes also recently destroyed a bridge near Ramadi, as part of an effort to deny territory to ISIS. Warren scoffed at Russian reports claiming they had destroyed 500 ISIS fuel trucks, saying the total was likely less than 100, “unless the Russians are counting flat tires and chipped paint.” However, he said, the Russians have likely caused more than 1,000 civilian casualties with their air strikes. “This is sloppy military work. This is the reckless and irresponsible, imprecise, and frankly uncaring approach to operations in Syria that the Russians have taken on,” he said. Warren also noted that due to efforts by the coalition and Iraqi security forces, ISIS vehicle-borne IEDs have gone from a nearly 100 percent effective rate to just five percent effectiveness. Iraqi forces have learned to identify the “Frankentrucks,” Warren said, and know how to counter them. Targeted airstrikes also have destroyed factories producing them. (Watch video of the oil trucks being destroyed, and video of the bridge bombing.)
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.