U.S. military leaders including Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, and their counterparts in Turkey have developed a new long-term plan for operations against the Islamic State militant group in Syria, DoD News reported Sunday.
Jim Garamone writes Dunford noted that he met with Turkish army general Hulusi Akar at the General Staff headquarters to discuss operational plans against the militant groups in Raqqa as well as operations in Mosul and other areas.
“The coalition and Turkey will work together on the long-term plan for seizing, holding and governing Raqqa,â€Â said Dunford.
“The Syrian Democratic Forces are moving south to isolate the enemy that’s in the vicinity of Raqqa and in Raqqa … What we are working on right now is to find the right mix of forces for the operation.”
Dunford added that the meeting complies with the promise of the coalition to not move ahead with the seizure phase in Raqqa prior to collaboration with Turkish forces and the addition of the latter’s perspective on operational plans.
