WASHINGTON DC // Arab and other allied countries have carried out about 10 per cent of the nearly 2,000 air raids against ISIL since early August, US defence officials said Monday.
US planes have conducted 1,768 air strikes since August 8, while other coalition aircraft have carried about 195 air raids against ISIL, defence officials said, citing a tally through Sunday.
The numbers, which for the first time shed light on the participation of Arab coalition partners, reflect the dominant role of the US military in the air campaign.
But Pentagon officials have insisted the role for Arab and European partners is likely to grow over time.
The Arab states involved in the operation in Syria — the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan and Qatar — have been reluctant to divulge details of their participation in the air strikes.
But for Washington and the West, the presence of the Arab countries has carried crucial symbolism in the fight against ISIL.
France, Belgium, Britain, Denmark, the Netherlands and Australia have committed aircraft for the effort in Iraq, though their presence has been on a small scale so far.
Other figures released by officials and by US Central Command showed the mounting scale of the air campaign, which began on August 8 in Iraq and was extended into Syria on September 23.
US and coalition aircraft have flown more than 4,800 sorties in the air war, including more than 1,600 refuelling runs by tankers, 700 surveillance flights as well as bombing missions, a defence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP.
At the current pace, the air operation will soon surpass the air war in Libya that involved more than 7,000 sorties by US and allied aircraft over about six months.
US and other aircraft have dropped about nearly 1,000 bombs in less than two months, officials said. That number, described as “offensive munitions,” includes 47 Tomahawk cruise missiles fired into Syria on the first day of operations there two weeks ago. Each Tomahawk costs more than one million dollars.
The munitions used so far, including numerous precision-guided bombs and missiles, cost about $62.4 million, according to Central Command.
The figure for the cost of bombs used by naval jets flying off a US aircraft carrier was not available.
As of Sunday, there have been more than 260 US and coalition air strikes in Iraq and at least 93 in Syria.
In Iraq, the most frequent target was near Mosul dam, with 98 air raids, according to the Centcom figures.
Aircraft targeted ISIL positions near Kobani, the besieged town near the Turkish border defended by Kurdish fighters, in at least 13 strikes, Central Command said.
* Agence France-Presse
