In the latest expansion of the U.S.-led military campaign in Iraq and Syria, the Pentagon has disclosed the United States is waging new forms of cyber-attacks against ISIL, as well as secret commando missions on the ground. Speaking at a Pentagon news conference, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said U.S.-led forces would increase their support for Iraqi troops attempting to retake the city of Mosul.

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter: “Because of our strategy and our determination to accelerate our campaign, momentum is now on our side and not on ISIL’s. Our partners on the ground in Iraq have retaken Ramadi and are making gains in Anbar, while at the same time we’re making operationally significant strides in our campaign to dismantle ISIL in Syria.”