Attacks ‘ anytime enemy has shown face’

in Syria are marching toward Raqqa, the terror group’s de facto capital.

Airstrikes have destroyed Islamic State bunkers, tunnels, truck bombs, weapons and vehicles at an increasing rate, and an estimated 60,000 Islamic State fighters have been killed in the past two years, said Gen. Raymond Thomas, commander of U. S. Special Operations Command based in Tampa.

The militants have lost about 65% of the territory they had occupied in Iraq and Syria in 2014 and about 50% of the fighters they had at peak strength in 2015, according to the Pentagon.

The new intensity in the air assault is not a change in strategy but reflects a plan already in place to coordinate airstrikes with the ground offensive.

During the presidential campaign, Trump criticized the Obama administration for not doing enough to defeat the Islamic State and vowed to hit the group harder if elected. He recently or- dered Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to present him with a war plan.

The White House has not spoken publicly about the recommendations, but analysts say the Pentagon is unlikely to call for an overhaul of the strategy.

For example, the Pentagon probably would not commit conventional forces to fight ISIS directly, said Michael Barbero, a retired Army lieutenant general who served three tours in Iraq. U. S. forces now work with local ground forces.

Instead, the White House might make incremental changes, such as loosening rules to allow more commanders to approve airstrikes. That would allow the coalition to respond more quickly when ground forces identify targets, Barbero said. Most airstrikes now have to be approved by generals, and the process can take hours.

The Pentagon may also propose to increase the number of advisers on the ground beyond the 5,000 troops in Iraq and 500 in Syria, Barbero said. The advisers generally are positioned away from direct fighting but can help coordinate coalition airstrikes.

The Pentagon already has made some changes, including placing more advisers and air controllers with combat units in Mosul. The move has allowed for a speedier response to Iraqi requests for airstrikes, although the Americans remain away from the fighting.

“That has afforded us some good opportunities to get after the enemy,” Harrigian said.

Still, the air campaign has its critics, such as David Deptula, a retired Air Force three- star general, who supports intensifying the “anemic” airstrikes to go beyond supporting ground troops by simultaneously hitting a broader range of Islamic State targets, including its banking system, police and oil industry.

Military leaders are “still viewing air power as a support element to indigenous ground forces,” Deptula said.

Deptula also faults the air campaign for imposing too many restrictions to guard against inadvertent strikes on civilians.

“While unintended casualties of war must be avoided to the extent possible, those associated with airstrikes pale in comparison to the savage acts of the Islamic State,” Deptula said. “The best way to mitigate civilian casualties is to render the enemy ineffective as promptly as possible.”