The Coalition provided needed supplies to Kurdish Peshmerga on May 20. “Coalition forces divested 23 pallets of supplies, including uniform items and concertina wire, to Peshmerga forces using the Counter-Daesh Train and Equip Fund (CTEF) at Erbil Air Base in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, May 20, 2020.”
The articles of clothing divested included boots, socks, pants, coats, and gloves. The report notes that “Peshmerga Brig. Gen. Sherzad Awla assisted the divestment process by translating what the contents of the boxes were in Kurdish.”
This is important because the CJTF:OIR has supported Kurdish forces in the past as part of the KTCC and has trained battalions and units and provided support for them after through SFABs and other means. The Coalition notes, “this equipment assists the Peshmerga to be more effective against ISIS and supports Ministry of Peshmerga reform goals.”
Other areas of the Coalition
A dog known as “the Dude,” perhaps relating to the Big Lebowski, participated with soldiers in a live fire exercise. “The soldiers traveled to Al Asad to validate their ground-level and base augmentation procedures. The exercise included plotting target locations, firing an M3 Carl Gustaf recoilless rifle, conducting route clearances and more. The live fire training helped to accustom Dude to the noises likely to be encountered on operations.”
Also “representatives from 19 nations participated in a teleconference hosted by British Major General Gerald Strickland, Deputy Commander for Strategy, May 19, 2020.”
Also, “the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Iraq and the German Government, in coordination with the Government of Iraq, are working together to rebuild al-Aghawat Mosque in Mosul. The mosque, which dates from the 18th century, was damaged during the Daesh occupation of the city. It is one of the most striking sacred buildings in the city and the project serves to protect cultural diversity and coexistence between the religions, as Mosul represents Iraq’s religious and ethnic diversity.” Meanwhile in Al-Qaim, the Iraq Community Resilience Initiative Program (ICRI) which is funded by USAID, provided 150 street lights. In addition an irrigation canal was repaired in the Sanjeq area, al-Qaim, Anbar province.
In Syria
“After years of conflict, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is partnering with Syrians to rebuild the electricity grid in northeast Syria, line by line — paving the way for progress and prosperity. USAID investments allowed the repair of major electrical infrastructure from Raqqa province all along the Middle Euphrates River Valley in Deir ez-Zor province. “