US general says Apache helicopters on attack in Iraq
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WASHINGTON- ISIS fighters are likely to put up a stiff defense of Mosul but eventually lose their grip and morph into an insurgency, a US Army general said Wednesday.
Maj. Gen. Gary Volesky, commander of US and coalition land forces in Iraq, said this transition from conventional combat to counter-insurgency is deemed so predictable that the US training regimen for Iraqi security forces is already being adjusted to prepare them for insurgent threats.
Volesky, speaking to reporters at the Pentagon via video link from his headquarters in Baghdad, also disclosed that US Army Apache helicopters have entered the battle for Mosul. He declined to provide specifics, citing the need to preserve operational security, but said they have been striking ISIS targets at night. The mere presence of the Apaches on the battlefield has been a confidence booster for Iraqi soldiers, he said.
The Apaches, he said, can "see a long range at night" and strike targets from a great distance. "That's what they're doing," he said.
