Degrading, Disrupting ISIL

"The number of strikes is related to the changing tactics of ISIL. They're hiding more, they're providing fewer targets, which makes them a less capable force."
"When you're hiding, you're unable to have that freedom of manoeuvre that's critical to an offensive force. And I think we're achieving those effects that we set out to achieve, which is: degrade, disrupt."
"We're very, very deliberate, very precise [in airstrike targets]. We want to be very precise and make sure that when we do have a strike, like we did on November 11, that we're affecting the ISIL forces only."
"I can tell you that we are seeing definite signs that coalition air operations are having the desired effect."
Colonel Daniel Constable, Canadian mission commander, Kuwait

"By Allah's permission, they will be defeated. And indeed the Muslims will be victorious."
"We see America and its allies stumbling between fear, weakness, inability and failure. America, Europe, Australia, Canada, their apostate tails and slaves from amongst the rulers of the Muslims' lands were terrified by the Islamic State."
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, ISIL

The Islamic State of Iraq and AlSham caliph spoke in a 17-minute-long audio recording, excoriating the U.S.-led military airstrike coalition that succeeded in wounding him near the town of Qaim on Saturday, and killing one of his chief aides, Abu Huthaifa al-Yamani near Fallujah. He spoke of his scorn of President Obama's decision to send an additional 1,500 troops to Iraq, speaking also of the balancing pledges that ISIL had received from al Nusra, in support of ISIL.

While Col. Constable heading Canada's airstrike mission in Iraq, spoke of successes, he also alluded to a dearth of targets with a more alert ISIL realizing that they could no longer move with the impunity they enjoyed previously, marching their forces to launch attacks. Anything seen from the skies connected to ISIL becomes a target. So they have had to abandon tanks and other large equipment readily seen from above. Somewhat straitening their resources.

Canada's CF 18s have flown 46 combat sorties since October 30, The Auroras have flown 12 reconnaissance missions and the Polaris has flown ten, providing 190 tonnes of fuel to coalition aircraft. Canadian CF-18s were called in to dispatch an ISIL cannon that had fired on Iraqi forces near the town of Baiji, 20 kilometres north of Baghdad. A video after the fact shows an artillery piece being towed and a laser-guided missile destroying it.

A Canadian Forces CP-140M Aurora long-range patrol aircraft in Kuwait prepares for a mission on Saturday. (Canadian Forces Combat Camera)

And both sides, belligerents and opponents are busily engaged in doing what combatant sides always do, indulging in bluff and threat, self-laudatory attributes, and propaganda geared to ensuring that their followers are reassured and heartened sufficiently to gather behind the opposing teams. War is war, wherever and however it is pursued and fought.