Role of 5 Arab Nations in Airstrikes Against ISIS Targets in Syria

Mideast Countries Play Major Role in Islamic State Strikes

Awad Mustafa and Aaron Mehta

Defense News, September 23, 2014

F-16 Fighting Falcons from Jordan and the Air Force 13th Fighter Squadron at Misawa Air Base, Japan, wait on the flightline in May 11

DUBAI AND WASHINGTON — Jordan was compelled to join US airstrikes against the Islamic State (IS) in Syria after the government uncovered a number of militants crossing its border with Iraq, a Jordanian government source told Defense News.

Jordan, along with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain, took part in operations in Syrian airspace Tuesday morning local time, giving the Pentagon some much sought-after public support from Arab nations as it expands its war against the quickly expanding militant group.

The Jordanian security official told Defense News that the strikes featured significant cooperation from the five Arab nations.

“Jordan has provided intelligence and fighter jets, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have provided logistical support through air refueling aircraft, [and] Qatar and Bahrain have provided their bases for operations,” the official said.

The official said funding for the strikes was provided jointly by the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. “The strikes have targeted mainly Islamist extremist groups in Syria as well as the Islamic State,” he said.

The targets of the strike include the militant al-Nusra Front, Ahrar al-Sham and the Khurasan Group, a new al-Qaida faction, the official added. The Pentagon has claimed the Khurasan Group represented a direct threat to the US.

Notably, the official said that the Syrian Air Force has also conducted strikes against the extremist groups, but those were not in co-ordination with the coalition forces at the time of the strike.

Jordan has sent up to six fighters into Syria for the strikes, the official added. A US general told the press that a majority of the airstrikes were from US forces, including remotely piloted aircraft, F-15E, F-16, F/A-18 and F-22 fighters and B-1 bombers.

“The airstrikes that came from Jordan were conducted from al-Azraq airbase in eastern Jordan and Mafraq airbase in the north, where both Jordanian and US flights [were launched],” the official added.

While the official did not say how many of the airstrikes were launched from those Jordanian bases, other bases were likely involved. That includes al-Dhafra airbase in the UAE, which are likely the home of the F-22 jets that took part in the strikes.

Having the Arab powers in the region join coalition strikes against IS is a notable achievement for the United States — and Jordan almost wasn’t involved.

According to the official, Jordanian participation in the strikes was decided within the last 72 hours, after a pair of incursions in the east and south of Jordan compelled authorities to approve the action.

“Earlier this week on Saturday, the Air Force bombed an [Islamic State] convoy of four-by-four [vehicles] entering from Iraq, and in the same day a small boat originating from Sinai was sunk near [the port city of ] Aqaba in the south,” he said. “Two people were killed and two were captured and interrogations revealed that they are Islamic State militants.”

Furthermore, a cell was uncovered planning bombing attacks in northern Jordan, the official stated, where 11 IS militants were arrested.

Jordan shares a 375-kilometer border with Syria. A combination of human intelligence assets and a surveillance and monitoring radar system along that border helped identify the potential terrorists, the official said.

The airstrikes were supplemented with 47 Tomahawk cruise missile attacks, launched from the US destroyer Arleigh Burke and cruiser Philippine Sea operating in the Red Sea and North Arabian Gulf, a Defense Department official said.

Goals Ahead

The strikes caught observers in the Middle East by surprise.

“We were expecting the airstrikes, but we were not expecting them to be that soon,” said Riad Kahwaji, chief executive officer of the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis (INEGMA). “I am sure they came as a full surprise even for ISIS and al-Nusra Front of al-Qaeda. It is clearly a war on terror.”

But as the surprise wears off, it is becoming clear that the US views this as just the first wave of an operation.

Speaking Tuesday, President Barack Obama warned that “the overall effort will take time,” while Army Lt. Gen. William Mayville, director of operations for the Joint Chiefs, added that Monday night was “the beginning of a sustained campaign.”

Kahwaji believes the airstrikes will help moderate opposition groups in Idleb and Aleppo establish territory on the ground, while his INEGMA colleague, Theodore Karasik, described the strikes as being “about cutting the head off.”

“It was not only ISIS that was targeted, but also al-Nusra and a small affiliate to al-Qaida, Khurasan unit, which is a hybrid cell of Sunni extremists,” Karasik said. “These groups are smart and they have supporters overseas. They would lash out.”

He notes that Hezbollah will likely launch their own ground operations following the coalition strikes.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is the strength of the coalition, something US government officials have been quick to point out. On Tuesday, the US State Department released a collection of statements from the various governments involved, and Mayville praised the coalition effort.

“Having the Arab nations on board is absolutely huge and really, really important,” said Rebecca Grant of IRIS research. “It’s a tricky business, but there’s great solidarity there and I think that’s probably the single most encouraging sign” for the future of operations.

The Gulf Cooperation Council has recently increased its cooperation on counterterrorism issues, and Kahwaji notes that the coalition could grow as IS forces are degraded by continuing airstrikes.

“This is just the start,” Kahwaji said. “To have this number of Arab countries taking part with the airstrikes, with a strong motivation for other countries to join the alliance and to take it more seriously, [shows] that the people of the region have begun to take care of their own problems in their backyards and not just to leave it to westerners to do what they should do.

“If they continue with the same scale of attacks, we would see good results.”

In a statement passed to reporters the US State Department, Syrian Opposition Coalition President Hadi al-Bahra said “tonight, the international community has joined our fight against [IS] in Syria.”

“We have called for airstrikes such as those that commenced tonight with a heavy heart and deep concern, as these strikes begin in our own homeland,” al-Bahra added. “We insist that utmost care is taken to avoid civilian casualties.”

Asked at a press conference about early reports of casualties, Mayville responded “we are unaware of any civilian casualties, but obviously limiting [them] is a top priority.” ■