Despite Pullout Orders, US Airstrikes Against ISIS in Syria Continue

While Pentagon officials confirmed last week that the US air war in Syria would end after the withdrawal of troops from the country, airstrikes by the coalition have continued apace, and the statements from the coalition show no signs of slowing down.

Following the most recent salvos, the coalition issued a statement saying that ISIS “presents a very real threat to the long-term stability in this region.” This certainly doesn’t give the impression that strikes are going to be done in a matter of weeks.

Indeed, in the context of the US opening new bases in Iraq, immediately along the Syrian border and very close to the site of the strikes, there seem to be reasons to question whether the air war will actually be ending, as previously said.

At the same time, the US airstrikes depend heavily on targeting support from Kurdish forces attacking ISIS towns. With the Kurds seeking new allies, its likely their targeting intelligence, such as it is, will be going elsewhere as well.