Delta Force vs. ISIS in Iraq has been a long time coming, but after weeks of secret preparations the elite U.S. Army unit is starting to capture and kill top jihadi operatives, sources have told
CNN.
While Pentagon and military officials have declined to speak on the record about the Expeditionary Targeting Force, or ETF, Defense Secretary Ash Carter mentioned the unit in a news conference on Monday, said CNN.
"The only thing I'll say is the (Expeditionary Targeting Force) is in position, it is having an effect and operating, and I expect it to be a very effective part of our acceleration campaign," Carter said.
Created in 1977 by an Army Special Forces Vietnam veteran, Delta Force is the branch's top covert unit with a long history of hunting down terrorists and rescuing hostages in war zones, according to
NBC News.
Britain's
The Daily Mail said the ETF will seek out top Islamic State members by finding their hideouts and conducting raids. The force wants to capture members for interrogation and data analysis and free hostage held by the terrorist group.
Carter appeared at the news conference with Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In
comments released by the Pentagon, Carter said he believed coalition fighters have the momentum in Iraq.
Carter and Dunford said that Iraqis will continue to lead efforts against ISIS in Mosul, the largest city under the militants' control in either Syria or Iraq.
"Operations against Mosul have already started," said Dunford. "We're isolating Mosul, even as we speak. The same thing with Raqqa."
Dunford said they hope to capitalize on lessons learned from the success in Ramadi.
"It isn't fundamentally different than what we are doing in Ramadi; it's doing the things we were doing in Ramadi better – which is train Iraqi forces, provide combined arms and provide logistics support."
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