Defense Secretary Mattis wants to leave US troops in Iraq after Islamic State is defeated

For some time now U.S. officials have said that even though the end of the war against the Islamic State may be in sight, U.S. troops should stay in Iraq.

In recent remarks by Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend he said that he hoped that the city of Mosul would be liberated from Islamic State control before the next U.S. troop rotation, but that U.S. troops should stay. Townsend insisted that the troops would need to stay long after the war against the IS in Iraq was over in order to arm and train Iraq's military. This view fits in with what Pentagon officials have claimed, that the rise of IS between the end of U.S. occupation in 2011 and 2014 when some U.S. troops and air support returned was due to the lack of U.S. ground troops in Iraq in spite of the fact that the U.S. had trained the Iraqi military and had a presence in Iraq for years. Townsend said that since mid-October last year the Iraqi army had had lost more than one thousand troops with about another 5,000 wounded. Only two U.S. soldiers had been killed during the same period. Townsend was addressing Fort Bragg troops.

Earlier, on March 22, , Rex Tillerson, U.S. Secretary of State also announced that U.S. troops would remain in Iraq to avert the possible resurgence of another terrorist organization saying: "The military power of the coalition will remain where this fraudulent caliphate has existed in order to set the conditions for a full recovery from the tyranny of ISIS." However Tillerson stressed that the troops would be engaged in what he called "stabilization" and "normalization" rather than "nation-building'. Tillerson continued:"Local leaders and local governments will take on the process of restoring their communities in the wake of ISIS with our support.The development of a rejuvenated civil society in these places will lead to a disenfranchisement of ISIS and the emergence of stability and peace where there was once chaos and suffering. But none of this will happen automatically. We all need to support this effort."

Both Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, and the Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Joseph Dunford also told Congress in March that a residual group of U.S. troops should stay in Iraq after the IS were defeated in order to present a resurgence of the terrorist group. The two were testifying before the Senate Appropriations subcommittee. Mattis said it would be a mistake to simply declare victory and pull out as the U.S. did in 2011.

There is no mention in these reports as to how the Iraqi government would react to all of this. The talk is always as if it is just up to the U.S. as to whether troops stay or not. But it isn't. Indeed the reason that the U.S. did not keep troops in Iraq in 2011 is because they could not strike an agreement with the Iraqi government. The Iraqis refused the US demand for immunity for their soldiers. Don't expect the main-stream media to even notice such irrelevant details!

After comments by U.S. and Iraqi officials that U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis was in talks with Iraqi PM Haider al-Abadi about maintaining a "modest" U.S. military presence in Iraq after the defeat of the Islamic State the Iraqi PM issued a denial. Al-Abadi said:"The Iraqi government has plans and strategies to develop the capabilities of our security forces through training and arming to raise their readiness to face the challenges ahead"... It is open to all international expertise to meet the aspirations of Iraq to build military institutions and security apparatuses that enjoy full readiness to face any future security challenges, whether external or internal and in accordance with the requirements of Iraqi national sovereignty."

The statement is in contrast with that of an anonymous U.S. official who said: "There is a general understanding on both sides that it would be in the long-term interests of each to have that continued presence. So as for agreement, yes, we both understand it would be mutually beneficial. That we agree on." He said the troops would number several thousand or perhaps a little more. The Iraqi PM's office said that only military advisers would remain.

At present there are almost 7,000 U.S. troops in Iraq assisting Iraqi forces in the fight against the IS. Jafar al-Husseini, a representative from the Kataib Hezbollah militia, who are closely allied to Iran, claimed the army and paramilitaries were strong enough to defend Iraq themselves: "Iraq's security forces and the Popular Mobilisation Forces [PMUs] have the ability to protect [Iraq's] internal roads and borders, so why is al-Abadi using American security partners?" Influential Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is also opposed to the presence of any U.S. troops on the ground in Iraq. He and his supporters may end up attacking US troops if they remain after the defeat of the IS. Al-Haidi must consider the opposition any attempt to keep U.S. troops in Iraq could produce against him. He is obviously trying to downplay any continuing presence of the US in Iraq that he will allow. The U.S. will simply ignore the issue and may end up exactly where they were in 2011.

In Iraq,, Mosul residents asked to remain in homes and are then bombed

(March 30) Residents in Mosul were instructed not to leave their homes ahead of airstrikes last week that are reported to have killed more than 150 civilians.

The LA Times reports:

Before the start of the offensive, the government air-dropped leaflets and broadcast messages on television urging residents to shelter in place, because camps for displaced people were already crowded and leaders feared that Islamic State fighters would turn a mass exodus into a mass slaughter.

Amnesty International said that the recent spike in casualties suggests that the US-led coalition is not taking adquate precautions to avoid civilian casualties. The US accuses the Islamic State as using civilians as human shields. However, this does not explain the notice given by the Iraq government. No doubt snipers work from roofs of houses containing many civilians but this does not provide a justification for bombing the house which appears to be what happens often. The sniper can be taken out without destroying the house and its inhabitants. It is just more difficult.

The coalition has already acknowledged that the US military was behind a March 17 airstrike on an area of western Mosul. Residents claim that at least 150 civilians were killed. US officials said that an investigation was underway into the incident. The Pentagon said that it was reviewing more than 700 video feeds of coalition airstrikes on west Mosul. Colonel JT Thomas a spokesperson for the US Central Command said that a high priority was being put on investigating the Mosul reports. Donatella Rovera, an adviser at Amnesty International said: “The fact that Iraqi authorities repeatedly advised civilians to remain at home, instead of fleeing the area, indicates that coalition forces should have known that these strikes were likely to result in a significant numbers of civilian casualties. Disproportionate attacks and indiscriminate attacks violate international humanitarian law and can constitute war crimes.” Amnesty also reported that evidence gathered on the ground shows that there was a pattern of US-led coalition airstrikes completely destroying houses with families inside. Faced with tough resistance in western Mosul, particularly the old city area with many narrow lanes that military vehicles cannot enter, there has been increased reliance by the coalition and Iraqi forces on artillery and airstrikes. The UN estimates there are still about 400,000 people in Mosul trapped in the IS held area.

The Amnesty International report cited survivors and eyewitnesses of the airstrikes that killed civilians as saying: “They did not try to flee as the battle got underway because they received repeated instructions from the Iraqi authorities to remain in their homes.” Colonel Thomas said at a Pentagon conference: “In Mosul, there are multiple days of strikes. The numbers of civilian casualties that have been reported variously – one of the things we’re looking at is if some of those numbers are cumulative from different incidents, different engagements, in this highly contested, very ferocious battle that’s going on in Mosul. We know that we were dropping bombs in the immediate vicinity.” He said that the bombs were quite precise. Surely, this means the attackers knew when they were hitting houses that likely contained civilians.

Brigadier General Matthew Isler, a deputy commanding general in Operation Inherent Resolve claimed that coalition aircraft had dropped more than 500 precision guided munitions each week so far in March, even reaching 605 one week. On a typical day:...the coalition flies A-10 Warthogs, Navy F/A-18s, Marine Corps Harriers, French Rafale fighters, Belgian F-16s, British Typhoons, and U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortresses to support the fight, run out of the Combined Air Operations Center. They are supported by dozens of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft — manned and unmanned, and some armed — and six electronic warfare aircraft, as well as tankers providing 430,000 gallons of gas a day to allow fighters and bombers to fly longer.The result of such bombardments on civilians is likely to lead to increased anger among Sunni civilians who will blame the Americans and the Iraqi government for the high death toll. This anger could be used as a recruiting tool by militants to turn them against the Shia-dominated Iraqi government.

Syrian rebel forces take one side of Tabqa dam near Raqqa from the Islamic State

(March 26) The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) an alliance of Kurdish militias with some Arabs, reached one side of the dam. This is a top prize in the drive to ultimately take the city of Raqqa from the Islamic State.'

Jihan Ahmed, the SDF spokesperson said that its forces were fighting the Islamic State (IS) at the entrance to the dam. The Tabqa dam is the largest on the Euphrates and stretches 4 km across the river and is one of the few land crossings of the Euphrates remaining after many bridges have been destroyed. The dam is about 40 kilometers or 25 miles west of Raqqa. The Islamic State has used Raqqa for years as the main base for its operations in Syria. Recent coalition airstrikes have inflicted some damage. There have been no casualty reports. The UN warned some time ago of the dangers of the dam being damaged even sabotaged by the Islamic State creating a catastrophe.

The SDF with the help of US special forces and air strikes launched an operation late in 2016 to isolate Raqqa and it is now mostly "surrounded" but in a large pocket of land that backs onto the river. The US coalition air dropped SDF forces onto the south bank of the Euphrates as part of their preparation for an assault on the dam and the nearby town Taqba town and air base. The SDF forces are advancing from the north and Syrian government forces are advancing from the west.

Clashes occurred recently in the town of al-Karam just 18 kilometers or 11 miles east of Raqqa. The SDF is attempting to close in on Raqqa as the third stage of an operation known as "Wrath of the Euphrates". The French defense minister Jean-Yves Le Drian claimed that the push into Raqqa would begin within days: "France has always said that Raqqa was a major objective, Today, one can say that Raqqa is encircled, that the battle for Raqqa will start in the coming days. It will be a very hard battle, but a battle that is going to be of utmost importance."

The offensive has not been without problems. Earlier an air strike hit a school killing dozens of people who had taken refuge in the school after fleeing fighting in Palmyra. Although several groups blamed coalition air strikes the coalition claimed it had no information that it had struck civilians near Raqqa but said the reports would be investigated.

A report claims that recent fighting has put the dam out of operation creating risky high water levels. A technical source said: "Shelling on the area... that supplies that dam with electricity has put it out of service. The work needed to fix the problem is not possible because there is not sufficient staff available as a result of the intensive shelling in the area of the dam. If the problem is not fixed, it will begin to pose a danger to the dam." However an SDF spokesperson Talal Sello said that there is no imminent danger to the dam noting that there had been no airstrikes on the dam and the air drop of forces was designed to carry out a land operation to avoid damage to the dam. IS has issued a warning that the dam was threatened with collapse at any moment because of US air strikes. The UN humanitarian agency warned that the Euphrates had already risen 10 meters or 33 feet since late January from heavy rainfall and snow. It also warned that damage to the dam could lead to massive flooding at Raqqa and further downstream. More than 320,000 people have been killed in Syria since conflict began in March of 2011.

High civilian death toll leads to new tactics in Mosul offensive

Military officials say that Iraqi forces supported by US special forces and air attacks were set to deploy new tactics after their advance into old Mosul was slowed.

The Iraqi military is considering opening up another front and isolating the Old City where the Islamic State(IS) militants are putting up a fierce defense, according to a U.S. deputy commanding general of the American-led coalition. The U.S.-backed offensive on Mosul is now in its sixth month. East Mosul has already been retaken while about half of the west part of the city has also been recaptured.

The toll on civilians has been heavy. Families are streaming out of Mosul by the thousands each day to stay in cold crowded camps or with relatives. Advances have been slowed in recent fighting as the battle enters the Old City full of narrow alleys that military vehicles cannot navigate. The IS fighters are using snipers, car bombs, and mortar fire to stem the advance of the Iraqis. They are firing from crowded residential areas.

U.S. Army Brigadier General John RIchardson, a deputy commanding general in the US-led coalition, claimed that a change of tactics might be the solution saying: "They (Iraqi forces) are looking at opening another front to force ISIS to fight on two directions and isolate the Old City, so when it is time to go into the old city, potentially they surrender." Richardson said that the Iraqi army could move in units from the north while other brigades build up positions around the Old CIty forcing the Islamic State to fight on two fronts. Richardson claimed that the IS did not have the capacity to do so effectively.

Iraqi Brigadier General Yahya Rasool said on TV: "In the next few days we will surprise Daesh terrorists by targeting and eliminating them using new plans." IS fighters have been stationing themselves in residential houses and firing at Iraqi troops often drawing air or artillery strikes that have killed many civilians. Residents fleeing the city said that the IS was in some cases shooting at fleeing residents. They said there was no running water or electricity and there was no food coming into the city. As many as 600,000 citizens are thought to still be in the Old City area of Mosul.

An article in the Los Angeles Times claims that more than 200 civilians were killed in U.S. air strikes on Mosul. The article presents a number of accounts by individuals who experienced the devastation caused by the strikes'. The U.S. military has finally acknowledged that it launched an airstrike in which residents said more than 100 people were killed. The task-force leading the coalition said in a statement: “An initial review of strike data … indicates that, at the request of the Iraqi security forces, the Coalition struck ISIS fighters and equipment, March 17, in west Mosul at the location corresponding to allegations of civilian casualties." Previously coalition officials claimed they were unsure whether they had targeted the affected site in Mosul. So far local officials said they had pulled at least 60 bodies from just one destroyed buildings.

Airwars, a U.K.-based monitoring organization has raised questions about the surge in civilian deaths in the Mosul campaign in recent weeks. Some wonder if the new Trump administration is carrying out a more aggressive air campaign against the Islamic State than the previous Obama administration. Trump promised he would fight the IS more aggressively. The U.S.-led coalition has said its goal was "zero civilian casualties". Given the conditions of the bombing and the results so far, such a goal is not achievable and there is no attempt to achieve it. A coalition statement said: “But the coalition will not abandon our commitment to our Iraqi partners because of ISIS’s inhuman tactics terrorizing civilians, using human shields, and fighting from protected sites such as schools, hospitals, religious sites and civilian neighborhoods". In other words we will attack hospitals, innocent civilians in houses with snipers, religious sites and civilian neighbourhoods but this is all the fault of the IS who do not fight as they ought in places where there will be no collateral damage. The situation is in many respects like that of the Russian and Assad attacks in Aleppo but the reaction appears to be much less strident against the bombings as suggested on the accompanying video.

Islamic State captures police colonel and 8 officers in Mosul

(March 21) During fierce clashes in the Old City of Mosul early Monday Islamic State (IS) fighters captured an Iraqi police colonel and eight other officers as they ran out of ammunition according to an Iraqi Interior Ministry official.

The officers were captured about 3 in the morning in the Bab Jadid district in Mosul. The whereabouts of the officers is not known. The eastern half of the city has already been liberated but they are now battling in the Old City in western Mosul. The offensive on Mosul began about the middle of October last year and on western Mosul this February.The recent battles have been described in a Digital Journal article. Many thousands of civilians remain trapped in the area under IS control. The center of Old Mosul is home to the Al-Nuri mosque where IS leader Abu al_Baghdadi had declared a caliphate in territory controlled by the IS, in July of 2014. There are many narrow alleys in the area that military vehicles cannot enter. An extensive account of the Mosul offensive can be found here.

The Iraqi government now estimates that already 180,000 civilians have fled from Mosul. The government claims that there is enough room for 100,000 more at displacement camps. However, many refugees are having a difficult time finding accommodations. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is in Washington meeting with US President Donald Trump and other officials. He was promised that US support would not only continue but will accelerate. Many terrorist attacks are launched outside of the main battle area. A suicide car bomber in Baghdad killed 23 and wounded 45 more.

As the battle reaches more densely populated areas airstrikes cause many civilian casualties. As an article notes:Families fleeing Mosul in recent weeks have talked of high numbers of civilians killed by air strikes, and said that in many cases Islamic State fighters have already slipped away by the time the bombs hit.

'When the coalition see a sniper on a home, it's five or ten minutes before that house is hit,' Mohammed Mahmoud, a 40-year-old former police officer, told Reuters in another area of Mosul.The appended video shows some of the cases where civilians were hit by bombing. The Islamic State fighters no doubt try to use the civilians as human shields. Snipers on civilian houses appear to be targeted by bombing attacks if the video is to be believed.

Advvance on Mosul from the south paused after fierce resistance from Islamic State

(October 27)After many days of positive reports about the offensive against Mosul in Iraq, Iraq special forces south of the city have run into heavy resistance. As a result, their advance has been paused while they await reinforcements.

For the present, the southern advance has been stopped and only Kurdish forces in the north are still advancing towards Mosul.

While officials are treating this as a brief pause, it effectively means that the Islamic State (IS) has temporarily broken the southern advance into Mosul, and that only the northern advance of the Kurdish peshmerga are still approaching the city. This could be a problem for the Baghdad government. The Kurds may decide to annex territory that they capture. If most of the area is captured by the Kurdish peshmerga, Baghdad may have difficulty reclaiming it as part of their territory. There may be some question as well as to how ready the Iraqi forces are to mount the offensive. In the past, Iraqi forces have not always been resolute in the face of setbacks. The IS has been using large numbers of car bombs combined with machine gun and sniper fire to resist the advancing Iraqi forces.

Army and federal police units are attempting to drive IS fighters from villages in the Shora area about 30k kilometers or 20 miles south of Mosul which the IS has held since 2014. An elite army unit to the east has also paused its advance as it waits for other attacking forces to catch up. Major Chris Parker, a spokesperson for the U.S.-coalition based at the Qayyara airbase south of Mosul said: "As Iraqi forces move closer to Mosul we see that Daesh resistance is getting stronger". "Daesh" is an Arabic term for the Islamic State.

The offensive is creating a humanitarian disaster as many of the 1.5 million residents of Mosul flee the city. In the worst case scenario, the UN forecasts up to a million people may leave the city. Some residents of the area said that their relatives had been used as human shields as the IS retreated from their area. UN aid agencies estimate that so far about 10,600 people have fled from the area under attack. UN humanitarian coordinator for Iraq, Lise Grande said that a mass exodus could happen within the next couple of days. She also said that in the worst case scenario the IS could resort to "rudimentary chemical weapons' to halt the advance. Major General Najm al-Jabouri, commander of the Mosul offensive said that his soldiers had destroyed at least 95 car bombs since the operation began back on October 17.

The IS fighters have already set oil fires and just recently sulfur stock fires at a factory south of Mosul, with the latter sending up clouds of toxic smoke. The smoke effected U.S. troops based at Qayyara: "Troops weren’t ordered to put on their masks, but many chose to do so on their own. Commanders have told troops in areas affected by smoke to limit outdoor activity, according to a release from the coalition." The IS fighters destroyed everything they could before they retreated from Qayyara leaving the occupiers much work to do before it could be used as a forward operating base.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said that an offensive against Raqqa the main IS stronghold in Syria would begin even before the Mosul offensive had ended. An anonymous U.S. official claimed that about 50,000 Iraqi ground troops are involved in the offensive. 30,000 are from the federal government forces, 10,000 are Kurdish peshmerga fighters and there are 10,000 police together with local volunteers. Five to six thousand IS fighters are thought to be defending the area. The U.S. has roughly 5,000 troops in Iraq but away from the front lines.

Iraqi defense minister Brigadier-General Yahya Rasooi, said that Shiite militias, known as the Popular Mobilisation Forces(PMF) would open a new front in the coming days. Many worry that the presence of Shiite fighters will fuel sectarian violence in the area in which Sunnis predominate. Turkey has threatened to "take measures" should the PMF attack Tal Afar a Turkmen part of Mosul. Turkey and the Iraq federal government are already at odds over the presence of Turkish troops north of Mosul.

US trying to negotiate a role for Turkey in Mosul offensive

(October 22) Ashton Carter, U.S. Secretary of Defence said that he was confident that Turkey would be able to play a role in the offensive designed to liberate the city of Mosul from the Islamic State.

After a visit to Turkey, Carter said:

"I think there is agreement there in principle. Iraq understands that Turkey as a member of the counter-ISIL (IS) coalition will play a role in counter-ISIL operations in Iraq and secondly that Turkey since it neighbours the region of Mosul has an interest (in) the ultimate outcome in Mosul. I am confident that we can work things out and there are things that would be productive for Turkey to do and we just need to work through these practicalities."

A senior US official said that Turkey could provide medical or humanitarian support or train Iraqi forces. Relationships between Turkey and the Iraqi federal government have been strained. Baghdad has called for the withdrawal of Turkish troops from Iraq. The troops are stationed at Bashiga near Mosul at the invitation of the Kurdish regional government. Turkey is concerned that the Mosul operation will be spearhead by Shiite militias and also perhaps by some of the Kurdish groups it opposes. Mosul has many Sunni inhabitants.

Turkey had earlier expressed frustration that as a NATO member it has not been asked to be involved in the offensive on Mosul. Mosul was once part of the Ottoman Empire and is still seen by president Erdogan as within the Turkish sphere of influence. However, Iraq is concerned with any attempts by Turkey to expand its influence into Iraq. The Mosul area may also be a source of friction with the Kurdish regional government as the area is rich in oil resources.

Carter made it clear that the exact role of Turkey in the campaign had not yet been worked out. Carter voiced conditional support for Turkey playing some role in the offensive. The Turkish Defence Minister Fikri Isik, who met with Carter, also claimed that there was agreement in principle on Turkish involvement in "determining the future of Mosul". He also said that the US, Turkey, and Iraq should work together on the issue in order to reduce tensions between Ankara and Baghdad.

Carter met also with Binali Yildirim, the Turkish Prime Minister. Earlier this week Yildirim insisted that Turkish jets woulld be deployed at some point during the offensive against Mosul. Mosul is around five times the size of any other city that the IS has been able to hold. The US is also raising the issue of Turkish participation in regular talks with the Iraqi leaderhip. Turkey is already angry at the US for its support for the Syrian Kurdish YPG which has become a key ally for the US fight against IS in Syria whereas Turkey considers the YPG a terrorist group.

The US hopes that Turkey will agree to some role in the Mosul offensive that will not anger Baghdad such as medical and humanitarian support, as mentioned earlier. Iraqi officials have made it clear they do not want Turkey involved in the ground invasion.

Preparations under way to begin offensive on Islamic State held Mosul in Iraq

Preparations are under way for an offensive to liberate the city of Mosul occupied by the Islamic State (IS). As part of the preparations, a military camp is being built near the Mosul Dam.

France has been active against the IS after deadly attacks by the group in France. It has recently launched airstrikes on Mosul but has also deployed special forces to Iraq and is arming the Kurdish Peshmerga and Iraqi forces. There are some 150 French forces training Iraqi forces and conducting tactical missions. There are also numerous US special forces in the Mosul area helping to prepare for the battle. The US has increased its troop numbers in Iraq to more than 5,000.

France's defense minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, said as the French conducted air strikes on Friday: “The battle for Mosul has not started yet. (The operations today) are the extension of our support for the coalition.There will soon be the main attack.”

IS captured Mosul back in June of 2014 and remains the biggest prize still held by the group. The city is already being encircled by Kurdish and Iraqi forces who are backed by US and French airstrikes and have captured considerable territory surrounding the city of more than a million people. The operation is expected to begin this month. While Iraqi forces will definitely spearhead the offensive, the role of Kurdish forces and Iraqi Shia militias is not clear. Many of the Iraqi forces are Sunnis from Mosul. If Kurdish Peshmerga and Shia militia are used there could be tensions between them and the inhabitants of Mosul.

To complicate the matter further, Turkish president, Recep Erdogan, claimed that Turkish troops would also play a role in the offensive:“We will play a role in the Mosul liberation operation and no one can prevent us from participating." He also complained that there were attempts to allow the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to participate in the fight but said that Turkey would never accept that. Erdogan also claims that the offensive against Mosul is set for October 19. Turkish troops are on a training mission in an area on the northern outskirts of Mosul. They are training Sunni tribal forces for the liberation of Mosul. The number of Turkish troops were increased last December. Baghdad insists that the Turkish troops were in Iraq without the permission of the Iraqi government.

The presence of the Turkish troops is resented by many Iraqi Shiites. This Sunday,. Qassim al-Tai, a Shiite cleric issued a fatwa (order) demanding that Iraqis fight the Turkish troops claiming this was a "religious and moral duty". He said that Turkish companies and goods should also be boycotted. On October 1st the Turkish parliament had authorized Turkish troops to stay in Iraq and Syria for another year. Preparations for the upcoming offensive are described in some detail in this article.

U.S. military has used white phosphorus in Iraq against the Islamic State

Pictures and videos posted online by the Pentagon show that the United States is using white phosphorus munitiions in its fight against the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq.

While the use of white phosphorus munitions is not banned, they should only be used in areas with no civilians and even the use against combatants is questionable as it causes horrible burns. The phosphorus shells can be used to make smoke screens or as signals for advancing troops. Photos on a Pentagon-managed public affairs website show a U.S. artillery unit in Iraq using white phosphorus munitions, M825A1 155mm rounds. The shell is able to create an effective smokescreen lasting about 10 minutes. There are 116 felt wedges in the shell that are impregnated with the white phosphorus. When they come in contact with the air they automatically ignite.

Col. Joseph Scrocca the public affairs director the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq claimed that the rounds are used for "screening and signaling". Scrocca claims the use of the shells is always in conformity to the Law of Armed Conflict on areas known to be free of civilians and not against enemy forces. Scrocca's statement was somewat revised by Air Force Col. John Dorrian when he commented on the photo:“In the foreground of the photo are 155mm white phosphorous rounds, which are used for screening, obscuring, and marking. When U.S. forces use these munitions, as required by the Law of Armed Conflict, they do so in a way that fully considers possible incidental effects on civilians and civilian structures,” Dorrian said in an email. “The U.S. military takes all reasonable precautions to minimize the risk of incidental injury to non-combatants and damage to civilian structures.”When asked if they had been used for other purposes, Dorrian said only that the munitiions were "used generally for the circumstances which I described." He did not say how many times the munitions had been used or if they had been dropped on enemy fighters or their equipment.

Dorrian said the photo had been taken during a 48-operation called Evergreen II involving 2,000 Kurdish fighters who were to take control of a bridge over a river in the town of Gwer. The white phosphorus was used to obscure the movement of the Kurdish forces. Islamic State forces were on the opposite side of the river. Dorian could not say if the rounds were used against Islamic State positions away from the town, or even if they had been used in the town.

This is not the first time the U.S. has used white phosphorus munitions in Iraq. The munitions were extensively used in the battle of Fallujah as described in Wikipedia:On November 9, 2005 the Italian state-run broadcaster Radiotelevisione Italiana S.p.A. aired a documentary titled "Fallujah, The Hidden Massacre", alleging that the United States used white phosphorus as a weapon in Fallujah causing insurgents and civilians to be killed or injured by chemical burns. The filmmakers further claimed that the United States used incendiary MK-77 bombs in violation of Protocol III of the 1980 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.

Mark Hiznay, the associate arms director for Human Rights said that he was concerned about the possible use of white phosphorus munitions in the campaign to retake Mosul from the IS:“When white phosphorus is used in attacks in areas containing concentrations of civilians and civilian objects, it will indiscriminately start fires over a wide area. U.S. and Iraqi forces should refrain from using white phosphorus in urban areas like Mosul because whatever tactical military advantage is gained at the time of use, it will be far outweighed by the stigma created by horrific burns to civilian victims.”

NATO has also used the munitions in Afghanistan. Saudi Arabia has also used the munitions in the war in Yemen,