WEBVTT 00:00.623 --> 00:02.090 - Okay, great, ladies and gentlemen, we're pleased 00:02.090 --> 00:05.127 to be joined today by Major General Rupert Jones 00:05.127 --> 00:06.520 of the United Kingdom. 00:06.520 --> 00:09.479 He serves as the Deputy Commander for the Combined 00:09.479 --> 00:11.909 Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve. 00:11.909 --> 00:13.696 He's joining us today, 00:13.696 --> 00:15.840 and sir, I'm sorry, are you live in Baghdad? 00:15.840 --> 00:17.741 I should have, I should have thought to ask you before. 00:17.741 --> 00:18.611 I think you're in Baghdad. 00:18.611 --> 00:19.944 Is that correct? 00:25.449 --> 00:27.825 - Yeah, that's correct, I'm in Baghdad. 00:27.825 --> 00:29.700 - And sir, we'll turn it over to you for your opening 00:29.700 --> 00:33.200 remarks and then take questions from here. 00:37.673 --> 00:39.553 - Thanks very much and good morning. 00:39.553 --> 00:41.901 I'm going to start in Syria, then discuss progress 00:41.901 --> 00:45.161 in Iraq, before finishing with an update on stabilization 00:45.161 --> 00:48.178 efforts, that's set conditions for normality to return 00:48.178 --> 00:50.095 once Daesh is defeated. 00:50.471 --> 00:53.121 The Syrian Democratic Forces, the SDF, 00:53.121 --> 00:56.314 with the Syrian-Arab Coalition continue to make advances 00:56.314 --> 00:58.814 to pressure and isolate Raqqa. 00:58.845 --> 01:01.862 Since they started the operation on the 5th of November, 01:01.862 --> 01:05.160 they've liberated more than 3,900 square kilometers 01:05.160 --> 01:08.156 of territory, as they advance from the north, 01:08.156 --> 01:10.935 northwest, and now northeast of Raqqa. 01:10.935 --> 01:13.817 Dozens of militaries and 10s of thousands of people 01:13.817 --> 01:16.039 have been liberated from ISIS. 01:16.039 --> 01:19.024 The bulk of the fighting has been by Arab forces 01:19.024 --> 01:21.279 and many more are being recruited and trained 01:21.279 --> 01:22.852 as they march south. 01:22.852 --> 01:26.511 The enemy is defending robustly, but the isolation continues 01:26.511 --> 01:29.797 at a deliberate pace and the enemy are losing fighters, 01:29.797 --> 01:31.714 leaders, and resources. 01:32.295 --> 01:34.978 The coalition continues to conducting strikes 01:34.978 --> 01:36.606 in support of our partners. 01:36.606 --> 01:40.295 16 commander control facilities and more than 30 01:40.295 --> 01:42.596 supply and logistics nodes have been destroyed 01:42.596 --> 01:44.013 by the coalition. 01:44.025 --> 01:46.795 These sites were used by the enemy to store weapons, 01:46.795 --> 01:48.878 ammunition, and supplies. 01:49.644 --> 01:52.876 We're increasing coalition airstrikes against ISIS, 01:52.876 --> 01:55.875 in and around Raqqa, targeting their leaders and command 01:55.875 --> 01:57.958 and control architecture. 01:58.220 --> 02:00.732 The enemy is under pressure on all fronts. 02:00.732 --> 02:03.508 We continue to target his finances and illicit sale 02:03.508 --> 02:06.997 of oil, his ability to communicate messages of hatred 02:06.997 --> 02:09.830 and extremism are ever more muted. 02:10.619 --> 02:13.808 His ability to recruit fighters has been stifled, 02:13.808 --> 02:16.769 and he can no longer move with impunity. 02:16.769 --> 02:20.133 The conditions are almost set for the liberation of Raqqa 02:20.133 --> 02:21.550 and ISIS know it. 02:22.137 --> 02:23.887 Meanwhile, in Al-Bab, 02:24.013 --> 02:26.741 to the west of Raqqa, Turkey and their partner forces 02:26.741 --> 02:29.921 continue to squeeze Daesh out of the city. 02:29.921 --> 02:32.578 We continue to support them with air strikes. 02:32.578 --> 02:35.615 As they advance, they're discovering a vast tunnel network 02:35.615 --> 02:38.571 beneath the city, a tactic we've seen in other areas 02:38.571 --> 02:40.603 the enemy has controlled. 02:40.603 --> 02:43.630 Soon, we expect to see the city fully liberated, 02:43.630 --> 02:46.130 after weeks of heavy fighting. 02:46.826 --> 02:49.249 Moving to Iraq, the Iraqi security forces continue 02:49.249 --> 02:52.323 to prepare for the liberation of West Mosul. 02:52.323 --> 02:55.303 The 16th Iraqi Army Division, supported by police 02:55.303 --> 02:58.367 and thousands of tribal forces, have moved into the east 02:58.367 --> 03:01.687 side of the city to provide security to the population 03:01.687 --> 03:04.346 and prevent the enemy from re-infiltrating or using 03:04.346 --> 03:05.513 sleeper cells. 03:05.885 --> 03:09.207 The city has faced a devastating trauma under Daesh 03:09.207 --> 03:12.153 in the last two years and it will take time to establish 03:12.153 --> 03:13.653 complete security. 03:13.946 --> 03:16.155 This should not be a surprise, and the Coalition will 03:16.155 --> 03:19.616 support Iraqi partners as they help to rid East Mosul 03:19.616 --> 03:21.533 of any residual threat. 03:22.723 --> 03:26.063 In the meantime, the people are extraordinarily resilient 03:26.063 --> 03:27.895 and they're grasping the opportunity to bring some 03:27.895 --> 03:31.243 normality back to their lives in East Mosul. 03:31.243 --> 03:33.413 Markets and schools are reopening. 03:33.413 --> 03:36.304 Bustle and life is returning to the streets and even 03:36.304 --> 03:38.872 the simple pleasure of a game of football, 03:38.872 --> 03:43.039 without ISIS's rule-making and oversight, is being enjoyed. 03:43.846 --> 03:46.193 The government of Iraq, working with the United Nations 03:46.193 --> 03:49.502 and others, has started vital stabilization efforts 03:49.502 --> 03:51.920 to reignite the city's essential services, 03:51.920 --> 03:54.871 water, electricity, sanitation, refuse, 03:54.871 --> 03:56.662 and health infrastructure, 03:56.662 --> 03:59.591 and cash for works projects are injecting vital life 03:59.591 --> 04:02.677 back into the economy and helping to clear the city rubble 04:02.677 --> 04:06.074 and the other detritus left by Daesh's rule of fear, 04:06.074 --> 04:08.517 and the most powerful sight of the city coming back 04:08.517 --> 04:12.465 to life, more than 46,000 people displaced by fighting 04:12.465 --> 04:15.130 in and around Mosul, have been able to return to their 04:15.130 --> 04:18.353 homes so far, and there are great stories emerging 04:18.353 --> 04:21.076 about emotional family reunions as people return 04:21.076 --> 04:22.076 to the city. 04:22.596 --> 04:26.307 Life in Mosul isn't going to be easy anytime soon 04:26.307 --> 04:29.265 but this is a good indicator of growing confidence 04:29.265 --> 04:32.432 in security and stabilization efforts. 04:33.117 --> 04:36.052 The enemy has tried unsuccessfully to infiltrate back 04:36.052 --> 04:39.577 into the east to the city, and has indiscriminately fired 04:39.577 --> 04:43.346 mortars, rockets, and artillery into liberated areas 04:43.346 --> 04:46.604 on more than 300 occasions in the last week, 04:46.604 --> 04:49.721 with characteristic disdain for human life. 04:49.721 --> 04:52.854 This tactic, together with their continued use of 04:52.854 --> 04:56.599 commercial, off-the-shelf drones, is all they have left 04:56.599 --> 05:00.766 with which to attack the east as they await their fate. 05:00.944 --> 05:04.225 Daesh still holds about 750,000 people in the west 05:04.225 --> 05:07.061 of Mosul and they must now be dealt with. 05:07.061 --> 05:10.465 Soon and at a time of their choosing, the Iraqi security 05:10.465 --> 05:14.632 forces will move into start the liberation of west Mosul. 05:15.152 --> 05:16.344 Be under no illusion. 05:16.344 --> 05:17.874 The fight will not be easy. 05:17.874 --> 05:20.619 The tights, straights and alleyways of the old city 05:20.619 --> 05:23.800 will be tough to clear but the Iraqi forces have adapted 05:23.800 --> 05:26.810 to ISIS's tactics and they will drive back the enemy 05:26.810 --> 05:30.977 whose finite resources wane with each passing day. 05:30.984 --> 05:33.911 It's worth reflecting on the extraordinary efforts 05:33.911 --> 05:36.588 of the Iraqi security forces to protect civilians 05:36.588 --> 05:38.647 during the tough battle for Mosul. 05:38.647 --> 05:42.439 This respect for civilian life is in stark contrast 05:42.439 --> 05:44.522 to the enemy's brutality. 05:45.299 --> 05:48.821 Let me finish by taking a brief look in the rearview mirror. 05:48.821 --> 05:51.279 We tend to focus on the fight, but I want to reflect 05:51.279 --> 05:53.529 on what follows the battle. 05:53.695 --> 05:57.066 During 2016, an area the size of Wales was retaken 05:57.066 --> 05:57.899 by Daesh. 05:57.989 --> 05:59.786 That's about the size of New Jersey for you 05:59.786 --> 06:02.154 on the other side of the Atlantic, 06:02.154 --> 06:04.464 giving about two million people their freedom back, 06:04.464 --> 06:05.964 in Iraq and Syria. 06:06.762 --> 06:09.602 Although the scars will remain long after the battle, 06:09.602 --> 06:12.121 cities like Ramadi and Fallujah suffered significant 06:12.121 --> 06:14.662 damage to their infrastructure during their occupation 06:14.662 --> 06:15.495 by Daesh. 06:15.743 --> 06:18.173 They were riddled with explosive devices. 06:18.173 --> 06:20.982 Booby traps were left in homes, in cupboards, 06:20.982 --> 06:23.469 in fridges, in schools and in hospitals, 06:23.469 --> 06:27.302 all aimed to kill and maim innocent civilians. 06:27.433 --> 06:29.656 Daesh hoped to stop the population from returning 06:29.656 --> 06:32.404 to their normal lives, but they failed. 06:32.404 --> 06:36.007 There's still much to do but by way of a few examples, 06:36.007 --> 06:40.007 26,000 kilograms of explosives have been removed 06:40.045 --> 06:42.734 from Ramadi since its liberation last year, 06:42.734 --> 06:46.536 allowing 80% of the population to return to their homes. 06:46.536 --> 06:50.703 360,000 people in the city now have access to clean water. 06:51.642 --> 06:55.094 In Fallujah, about 200,000 people have returned 06:55.094 --> 06:59.106 and across the whole of Anbar, where ISIS banned education, 06:59.106 --> 07:02.413 there are now more than 1200 schools open, 07:02.413 --> 07:06.580 with well over 300,000 children and 16,000 teachers 07:07.318 --> 07:09.103 back in the classroom. 07:09.103 --> 07:11.213 All this follows the great efforts of the government 07:11.213 --> 07:13.617 of Iraq, of the United Nations, 07:13.617 --> 07:17.122 and of a host of other international organizations. 07:17.122 --> 07:19.982 It's tough, grinding work, and for the people who have 07:19.982 --> 07:22.463 been traumatized by ISIS's campaign of terror, 07:22.463 --> 07:24.838 the work can't be done soon enough. 07:24.838 --> 07:27.711 There's much more to do, of course, but stabilization 07:27.711 --> 07:30.461 efforts are making real progress. 07:30.889 --> 07:33.545 With that, I'll happily now take your questions. 07:33.545 --> 07:37.070 - We're going to start with Courtney Kube from NBC News. 07:37.070 --> 07:38.237 - Hi, General. 07:38.388 --> 07:39.242 There was some 07:39.242 --> 07:42.787 Iraqi officials who were saying earlier this week 07:42.787 --> 07:46.242 that there was a large airstrike that killed more 07:46.242 --> 07:49.659 than a dozen ISIS leaders in western Iraq 07:50.414 --> 07:51.343 and that there was, 07:51.343 --> 07:53.691 they were part of a meeting that may have 07:53.691 --> 07:55.441 included Al-Baghdadi, 07:56.582 --> 07:58.859 that he may have even been injured or killed but this, 07:58.859 --> 08:01.616 we haven't heard much from the coalition yet 08:01.616 --> 08:05.166 on whether there was any coalition support or knowledge 08:05.166 --> 08:05.999 of this. 08:05.999 --> 08:10.166 Can you fill us in on what you know about this incident? 08:14.331 --> 08:17.569 - Courtney, look, we're tracking the same reports as you. 08:17.569 --> 08:20.066 We've heard the same thing as you, but we've not been able 08:20.066 --> 08:23.066 to corroborate it yet at this stage. 08:23.188 --> 08:25.107 - You haven't been able to corroborate any part of it, 08:25.107 --> 08:27.256 including that any other ISIS leaders were killed, 08:27.256 --> 08:28.516 or that Baghdadi was there? 08:28.516 --> 08:29.349 Anything? 08:29.349 --> 08:31.266 Any elements of it yet? 08:37.167 --> 08:39.334 - No, so, look, so we know 08:39.470 --> 08:42.086 the Iraqi strikes always coordinate with us. 08:42.086 --> 08:43.975 We know where the strikes are going to be so we know 08:43.975 --> 08:47.878 they struck a group of what they assessed to be leaders, 08:47.878 --> 08:50.685 but we haven't got any corroboration as to 08:50.685 --> 08:54.642 who was on the end of that strike, at this stage. 08:54.642 --> 08:55.905 It would be kind of, 08:55.905 --> 08:58.467 it would be irresponsible to speculate, I think, any further 08:58.467 --> 08:59.634 at this stage. 09:00.133 --> 09:02.050 - [Courtney] Thank you. 09:02.560 --> 09:04.893 - Okay, next, Otto Kreisher. 09:04.913 --> 09:05.746 - Good morning, General. 09:05.746 --> 09:06.863 Otto Kreisher of SEAPOWER Magazine. 09:06.863 --> 09:10.407 You mentioned that continued use of commercial, 09:10.407 --> 09:12.157 off-the-shelf drones, 09:12.784 --> 09:13.617 are they 09:14.833 --> 09:16.300 continuing to drop bombs? 09:16.300 --> 09:18.206 Are they using mainly for ISR? 09:18.206 --> 09:19.043 What's approved, 09:19.043 --> 09:21.626 what's the use of those drones? 09:27.412 --> 09:29.620 - Here, look, the use of drones is becoming an increasingly 09:29.620 --> 09:33.370 insidious threat in Iraq, being used by ISIS. 09:34.125 --> 09:35.458 They're used to, 09:36.342 --> 09:38.873 for surveillance, as you indicate, but, you know, 09:38.873 --> 09:41.025 in a way, the thing that's most concerning is they are 09:41.025 --> 09:43.640 being used increasingly to drop grenades and other 09:43.640 --> 09:46.234 explosive munitions on the innocent civilians 09:46.234 --> 09:48.567 in East Mosul and elsewhere. 09:49.726 --> 09:52.543 You know, I should say, whilst this is a typically 09:52.543 --> 09:56.210 inhumane and indiscriminate weapon by Daesh, 09:56.508 --> 09:58.095 it's not a game changer. 09:58.095 --> 09:59.253 It's, you know, 09:59.253 --> 10:00.086 there's, 10:00.086 --> 10:04.253 we've got technical defenses to mitigate against it, 10:04.337 --> 10:08.504 and I'm confident it's not in any way a game changer. 10:11.799 --> 10:12.946 - All right, yeah, I'm sorry, actually, 10:12.946 --> 10:16.405 I had Alhurra's Joe Tabet next, and then Ryan. 10:16.405 --> 10:17.531 - [Joe Tabet] Thank you. 10:17.531 --> 10:19.033 Yeah, General Jones, 10:19.033 --> 10:23.200 could you give us an update about the relationship 10:23.692 --> 10:25.859 with the Russian military, 10:26.595 --> 10:29.428 your weekly or day-to-day context. 10:29.483 --> 10:33.150 Has anything changed in the last four weeks? 10:42.797 --> 10:45.797 - So, as you know, the coalition has 10:46.451 --> 10:49.199 deconfliction procedures in place with the Russians 10:49.199 --> 10:52.923 and that is to ensure our safety and safety of all of our, 10:52.923 --> 10:54.673 of all of our people. 10:54.709 --> 10:56.701 Nothing has changed there. 10:56.701 --> 11:00.105 As you know, in around Al-Bab, there's a very close fight 11:00.105 --> 11:04.205 going on, and we are supporting the Turkish military 11:04.205 --> 11:05.038 and their, 11:05.038 --> 11:09.121 their opposition forces as they seek to close out 11:09.249 --> 11:11.249 the clearance of Al-Bab, 11:11.285 --> 11:14.130 but in that area, and other areas, we usedthat 11:14.130 --> 11:17.380 deconfliction channel to ensure safety. 11:17.698 --> 11:19.446 Then, to answer your question, has there been any change 11:19.446 --> 11:21.078 in the last four weeks? 11:21.078 --> 11:24.424 No, that channel is used regularly but there's been, 11:24.424 --> 11:26.341 there's been no change. 11:26.706 --> 11:27.859 - [Joe] Would you, 11:27.859 --> 11:29.769 could you explain to us more, 11:29.769 --> 11:33.936 give us an example about the deconflicting procedures? 11:36.405 --> 11:38.822 Could you give us an example? 11:46.734 --> 11:48.269 - No, I'm not going to go into kind of, 11:48.269 --> 11:51.956 into the kind of detailed specifics, but, you know, 11:51.956 --> 11:53.312 when you have got, 11:53.312 --> 11:54.479 you know, that 11:55.928 --> 11:59.928 the Russians are operating over Syrian airspace, 11:59.957 --> 12:01.624 as is the coalition, 12:02.336 --> 12:05.239 we want to make sure that there's no accidental 12:05.239 --> 12:08.459 misunderstanding, the air safety is paramount, 12:08.459 --> 12:10.738 that we don't inadvertently cause casualties to each other 12:10.738 --> 12:14.754 and that deconfliction channel is there to achieve, 12:14.754 --> 12:16.823 to ensure everybody's safety. 12:16.823 --> 12:18.285 I don't want to kind of go into specifics 12:18.285 --> 12:20.317 but that's essentially what it's there to do. 12:20.317 --> 12:22.029 What we're there focused on 12:22.029 --> 12:24.378 is getting on and taking the fight to Daesh 12:24.378 --> 12:26.854 and defeating Daesh, and this deconfliction channel 12:26.854 --> 12:29.339 ensures that we're able to do that safely. 12:29.339 --> 12:30.280 - [Joe] Thank you. 12:30.280 --> 12:32.930 - And next we go to Ryan Browne from CNN. 12:32.930 --> 12:33.763 - Hello, General. 12:33.763 --> 12:34.818 Thank you for doing this. 12:34.818 --> 12:36.185 Just two quick questions. 12:36.185 --> 12:39.326 The first one, when Manbij was retaken 12:39.326 --> 12:43.118 by the SDF, there was a lot of reports that intelligence 12:43.118 --> 12:46.012 pertaining to terrorists, external terrorist plots, 12:46.012 --> 12:46.845 was gathered. 12:46.845 --> 12:50.325 As the Iraqis have taken East Mosul, as they're starting 12:50.325 --> 12:53.928 to back clear that, are we finding any intelligence 12:53.928 --> 12:57.011 pertaining to external plots by ISIS? 13:06.076 --> 13:06.909 - Sorry, do you (mumbles), 13:06.909 --> 13:08.287 you had a second question as well. 13:08.287 --> 13:09.661 Do you want to follow that as well? 13:09.661 --> 13:10.863 - Sure, of course. 13:10.863 --> 13:14.113 So, yesterday, the U.S. General Thomas, 13:14.480 --> 13:16.642 the commander of special operations command said that 13:16.642 --> 13:20.225 about 60,000 ISIS fighters had been killed. 13:22.089 --> 13:25.394 I know the UK Defense Ministry put out 25,000 13:25.394 --> 13:28.568 as a number in December, so could you help us kind of 13:28.568 --> 13:31.916 understand how that number is assessed and what the, 13:31.916 --> 13:36.083 you know, why there's such a kind of large difference there? 13:41.670 --> 13:43.725 - Okay, so, let's deal with, 13:43.725 --> 13:46.738 with Manbij first and your question about kind of 13:46.738 --> 13:49.626 intelligence leading towards terror plots. 13:49.626 --> 13:52.617 As you say, there was a huge amount of material gathered 13:52.617 --> 13:56.200 in Manbij that helped intelligence agencies 13:56.288 --> 13:58.968 in Europe, in the U.S., and elsewhere 13:58.968 --> 14:01.801 to counter potential terror plots. 14:01.985 --> 14:05.541 What I can tell you is that in Mosul, a huge amount 14:05.541 --> 14:07.067 of material has been gathered, you know, 14:07.067 --> 14:09.076 Daesh were there for two years. 14:09.076 --> 14:11.751 You know that Daesh are a very bureaucratic organization. 14:11.751 --> 14:12.802 They keep records. 14:12.802 --> 14:13.729 There's a whole lot of, 14:13.729 --> 14:17.415 a great deal of material that was in East Mosul. 14:17.415 --> 14:20.194 We've worked very carefully with our Iraqi partners 14:20.194 --> 14:22.345 to gather as much of that as possible. 14:22.345 --> 14:24.385 Absolutely in concert with the Iraqis, 14:24.385 --> 14:26.601 and that material is being exploited at this stage 14:26.601 --> 14:29.751 both by the Iraqis and by Coalition nations, 14:29.751 --> 14:30.584 and clearly we, 14:30.584 --> 14:32.882 speculation at this stage as to what that material 14:32.882 --> 14:36.593 might lead to, but I think it's in all likelihood 14:36.593 --> 14:39.838 it will point to terror plots, and that's what we've seen 14:39.838 --> 14:41.867 in Manbij, that's what we've seen elsewhere. 14:41.867 --> 14:45.662 We know that Daesh seek to run external operations. 14:45.662 --> 14:48.322 We know that Mosul and Raqqa, as, if you like, 14:48.322 --> 14:51.053 planning headquarters are very important to them. 14:51.053 --> 14:54.553 Turning to your question about numbers of, 14:55.039 --> 14:58.326 of Daesh killed since the start of the campaign, 14:58.326 --> 14:59.159 you'll have to forgive me, 14:59.159 --> 15:01.324 off the top of my head, I cannot remember the working 15:01.324 --> 15:04.557 figure in terms of the total number killed since the start 15:04.557 --> 15:05.390 of the campaign, 15:05.390 --> 15:08.087 but the figure that the UK Secretary of State 15:08.087 --> 15:12.087 was referring to, of about 25,000, is the figure 15:13.424 --> 15:16.775 that we have recorded of enemy killed during the course of 15:16.775 --> 15:18.942 the calendar year of 2016. 15:20.483 --> 15:24.650 Now we work very closely to ensure that we understand 15:25.554 --> 15:27.054 not only how many, 15:28.241 --> 15:30.966 whether or not we might have caused any civilian casualties, 15:30.966 --> 15:33.753 but also, we do our best to understand how many enemy 15:33.753 --> 15:35.085 we've killed on the ground. 15:35.085 --> 15:36.619 Of course, that is difficult to do and it is not 15:36.619 --> 15:39.865 a precise art, but we do keep a running total after each 15:39.865 --> 15:43.258 strike as to how many enemy we think we struck. 15:43.258 --> 15:45.388 The figure of 25,000 that Secretary of State Fallon 15:45.388 --> 15:49.057 was referring to was a 2016 calendar year figure. 15:49.057 --> 15:52.686 I confess, I'm not certain where the 60,000 figure 15:52.686 --> 15:54.353 came from, but I am, 15:54.971 --> 15:57.953 I am confident that since the beginning of the campaign, 15:57.953 --> 15:59.343 we will have killed at least that many 15:59.343 --> 16:01.177 so I suspect that's what he was referring to, 16:01.177 --> 16:03.723 so no discrepancy, different time periods that the two 16:03.723 --> 16:05.723 people are referring to. 16:06.946 --> 16:08.710 - Okay, next to Laurent Barthelemy 16:08.710 --> 16:10.425 with Agence France Presse. 16:10.425 --> 16:12.111 - Thanks for doing this. 16:12.111 --> 16:15.295 You have mentioned that the Arab forces have done 16:15.295 --> 16:19.462 the bulk of the fighting in the offensive against Raqqa. 16:20.395 --> 16:23.018 Is it your assessment that the Arab forces 16:23.018 --> 16:26.996 can actually seize the city or will other forces, 16:26.996 --> 16:29.579 Kurdish or others be necessary? 16:37.683 --> 16:40.263 - Well, we as a coalition have said all along 16:40.263 --> 16:44.258 that the Syrian Democratic Forces with the Arabs 16:44.258 --> 16:46.792 as the upseat of the van of the fight 16:46.792 --> 16:49.720 will be used to isolate Raqqa and that's exactly 16:49.720 --> 16:51.946 what they're doing, and they're doing it very effectively. 16:51.946 --> 16:53.596 They're pushing the enemy back. 16:53.596 --> 16:56.938 They're (mumbles) down the enemy's capability 16:56.938 --> 16:59.326 and they're closing in, as we speak, on the city 16:59.326 --> 17:02.399 of Raqqa, exactly as they said they would do 17:02.399 --> 17:05.654 so those forces are proving themselves absolutely up 17:05.654 --> 17:06.904 for that fight. 17:07.292 --> 17:09.242 We've also, we've said that we would discuss with 17:09.242 --> 17:13.409 our partners in terms of who is best placed to conduct 17:13.899 --> 17:17.997 the actual liberation of Raqqa, and we'll do that. 17:17.997 --> 17:20.514 We'll have those conversations, but at this stage, 17:20.514 --> 17:23.329 the force that is most likely capable to conduct 17:23.329 --> 17:26.635 the liberation of Raqqa remains the SDF. 17:26.635 --> 17:27.908 Are we confident in the SDF? 17:27.908 --> 17:29.340 Absolutely we are. 17:29.340 --> 17:30.790 We've seen their fighting spirit. 17:30.790 --> 17:32.628 We've seen what they're capable of doing. 17:32.628 --> 17:35.194 They re-took Manbij, a very tough fight, 17:35.194 --> 17:37.514 and they prevailed in the face of a tough, 17:37.514 --> 17:38.556 tough opposition. 17:38.556 --> 17:41.410 They're closing in on Raqqa and we're confident that 17:41.410 --> 17:44.233 they'll be able to re-take Raqqa when the time comes. 17:44.233 --> 17:45.432 Of course, with coalition support. 17:45.432 --> 17:47.932 That's what we're there to do. 17:48.779 --> 17:49.612 - Can the, 17:50.143 --> 17:53.218 only the Arab part of the SDF do this? 17:53.218 --> 17:54.301 Or, will the, 17:55.335 --> 17:59.502 will it be necessary to have the Kurdish company too? 18:06.941 --> 18:09.912 - Well, that's slightly for the SDF to decide upon. 18:09.912 --> 18:11.239 You know, the SDF is, 18:11.239 --> 18:13.588 is it's like a total force and it makes, 18:13.588 --> 18:17.481 it's made up of both Arabs and Kurds, as I've said to you, 18:17.481 --> 18:21.400 the bulk of the forces advancing on Raqqa are Arabs, 18:21.400 --> 18:24.741 but I said the bulk of the forces, not all of the forces. 18:24.741 --> 18:28.438 The Arabs and the Kurds absolutely work hand in glove, 18:28.438 --> 18:32.382 and my expectation is, if the SDF are the assault force 18:32.382 --> 18:35.340 into Raqqa, that is how they'll operate. 18:35.340 --> 18:37.782 They'll work together and in concert with each other, 18:37.782 --> 18:41.699 but the majority of the fighters will be Arabs, 18:41.786 --> 18:45.262 and we the coalition will be there to support them. 18:45.262 --> 18:46.095 - [Laurent] Thank you. 18:46.095 --> 18:50.012 - Next to Kasim Ileri with Anadolu News Agency. 18:50.042 --> 18:52.792 - Thanks for doing this, General. 18:53.659 --> 18:55.242 My question will be 18:55.767 --> 18:56.767 about Raqqa. 18:58.555 --> 19:00.931 Do we know that Russians and Syrian regime 19:00.931 --> 19:03.509 are fighting ISIS around Deir ez-Zor, 19:03.509 --> 19:07.220 closing the routes between Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor. 19:07.220 --> 19:10.471 Can we say that there is a tacit cooperation between 19:10.471 --> 19:14.638 the SDF and the Regime and Russians in isolating Raqqa? 19:22.753 --> 19:23.586 - Could you, 19:23.586 --> 19:24.697 I got the bulk of the question. 19:24.697 --> 19:27.292 Just the last few bits I didn't get, 19:27.292 --> 19:28.915 the actual, the heart of the question. 19:28.915 --> 19:29.924 I got all the context. 19:29.924 --> 19:32.163 Could you just repeat the last bit? 19:32.163 --> 19:35.740 - Can you say that there's a tacit cooperation 19:35.740 --> 19:38.490 between the Syrian regime forces, 19:38.938 --> 19:40.521 backed by Russians, 19:40.838 --> 19:43.671 and the SDF in isolation of Raqqa? 19:50.756 --> 19:52.256 - Okay, thank you. 19:53.080 --> 19:56.539 So, look, we are focused on the defeat of Daesh. 19:56.539 --> 19:57.656 That's what we're getting on with. 19:57.656 --> 19:59.727 We're working very closely with our partners in both 19:59.727 --> 20:00.977 Iraq and Syria. 20:01.163 --> 20:03.580 The SDF in the case of Syria. 20:04.141 --> 20:06.208 Of course, there are plenty of other 20:06.208 --> 20:08.375 actors operating in Syria, 20:09.486 --> 20:12.080 not least of course, as you say, the regime 20:12.080 --> 20:15.292 and the Russian forces, but in terms of, you know, 20:15.292 --> 20:18.125 the fight for Raqqa, that fight is 20:18.687 --> 20:20.988 absolutely focused at the moment on the SDF 20:20.988 --> 20:22.738 and the coalition effort. 20:22.738 --> 20:26.152 The effort you're referring to by the Regime 20:26.152 --> 20:28.837 down in Deir ez-Zor is a substantial different distance 20:28.837 --> 20:32.108 from Raqqa and we wouldn't envisage influencing 20:32.108 --> 20:34.941 the Battle of Raqqa at this stage. 20:35.304 --> 20:38.559 - Last week (mumbles) said that for, 20:38.559 --> 20:41.892 to cover up the southern flank of Raqqa, 20:42.239 --> 20:43.072 they are, 20:43.167 --> 20:46.921 you guys are trying to build up capacities down in, 20:46.921 --> 20:48.953 in southern flank of the city. 20:48.953 --> 20:51.770 Can you update us on what's going on in the southern parts 20:51.770 --> 20:53.378 of the city right now? 20:53.378 --> 20:56.461 How do you plan to cover up that area 20:56.687 --> 21:00.770 as you apparently don't have forces on that part? 21:08.371 --> 21:10.003 - Well, look, there's plenty of ways you can, 21:10.003 --> 21:11.920 you can isolate a city. 21:12.493 --> 21:13.748 You can isolate it with forces. 21:13.748 --> 21:15.576 You can isolate it with a river. 21:15.576 --> 21:18.007 And there is a river south of Raqqa, 21:18.007 --> 21:19.901 and you can isolate it through fires, 21:19.901 --> 21:22.113 so look, I'm not going to go into the details 21:22.113 --> 21:22.946 of the plan. 21:22.946 --> 21:25.923 You would respect why I don't want to do that, 21:25.923 --> 21:28.872 but I'm confident we can isolate Raqqa, 21:28.872 --> 21:32.065 and that the Daesh fighters there are under the (mumbles). 21:32.065 --> 21:34.237 We're bringing in fires increasingly. 21:34.237 --> 21:35.666 We're shaping that enemy. 21:35.666 --> 21:37.713 We're striking its commander and control, 21:37.713 --> 21:38.743 we're striking its leaders. 21:38.743 --> 21:40.034 We're striking its fighters. 21:40.034 --> 21:41.365 We're striking his logistics. 21:41.365 --> 21:44.593 We're preparing the ground for when the attack on Raqqa 21:44.593 --> 21:46.943 happens and I'm pretty confident the enemy 21:46.943 --> 21:48.526 will feel isolated.