MIRS- Dana Taib Menmy

Colonel Ryan Dillon, the Spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS, in this exclusive interview with the Mediterranean Institute for Regional Studies (MIRS) says Iraq's future is for Iraqis to decide, and the Coalition believes that the best way to ensure that every Iraqi has a voice in his or her country's future is through ongoing dialogue.

He also says that ISIS is the biggest roadblock that kept such dialogues from happening, and their strategy includes actively sowing discord among the diverse groups in Iraq.

He commissioned in the Infantry upon graduation from Providence College in 1995.

 COL Dillon led his company in the airborne assault into Northern Iraq in March 2003. He served in Afghanistan in 2005 as the Battle Major for Combined Joint Task Force-76, in Bagram, Afghanistan, and then as the Liaison Officer to the 11th Pakistani Corps, in Peshawar, Pakistan, in 2006.

COL Dillon commanded the 24th Press Camp Headquarters, in Fort Bliss, Texas from 2014 to 2016. COL Dillon’s education includes a Bachelor’s degree in History and two Masters Degrees. 

MIRS: What will be the coalition's role and strategy in the post-ISL era in Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region?

COL Dillon:  As a Coalition, we remain focused on the defeat of ISIS in Iraq and Syria. ISIS is a terrorist organization that threatens all states in the region and the international community. 

Daesh's loss of territorial control does not mean it is defeated as an organization, and that includes some of its leaders, who are in hiding. There is still much that needs to be done to ensure that Daesh is dealt an enduring defeat. Lasting peace and security in Iraq and the region can only happen if there are stable and unified governments in place that are capable of meeting the needs of their people. By defeating ISIS as a military force, the Coalition is providing the time and the space that is required in order to do the diplomatic, economic and informational work necessary to build our partners' capacities.

 The Coalition will continue to support the ISF in post-ISIS Iraq. We want to support a unified Iraq that can provide the stability and security its citizens need to live peacefully.

 MIRS: How do you see the future of the Iraqi Federal Government relations with the KRG? How can the coalition forces prevent internal fights between the Iraqi security forces, namely between the Iraqi troops and para-military Shiite militias with the KRG Peshmerga forces, as recently happened in Kirkuk and other disputed areas between Baghdad and Erbil? Do you see in the post ISL era, a strong Iraqi central government would lead to suppression of the Iraqi Minorities, especially Kurds, Sunnis, Christians, Ezidis and others, consequently causing the reemergence of terrorist groups like ISL? 

COL Dillon: The Coalition is monitoring and encouraging discussions between ISF and Peshmerga forces in northern Iraq.

 Iraq's future is for Iraqis to decide, and the Coalition believes that the best way to ensure that every Iraqi has a voice in his or her country's future is through ongoing dialogue. ISIS is the biggest roadblock that kept such dialogues from happening, and their strategy includes actively sowing discord among the diverse groups in Iraq.

This is why we think that our most valuable contribution to Iraq's future is the defeat of ISIS.

 We would also like to add that all elements of the Iraqi Security Forces and Peshmerga have shown their dominance over ISIS when they work together, as we saw in Mosul and the quick liberation of Tal Afar and Hawija. The Coalition's priority in Iraq right now is to support our partners with defeating ISIS in its last locations in Western Anbar Province with intelligence, precision air and ground artillery fires, and combat advice.

 MIRS: As you know a main duty of the Coalition is to run dry the financial resources of ISL and other terrorist groups, to serve this aim, how can the coalition prevent that oil fields would not be manipulated by ISL?

 COL Dillon: ISIS is degraded as an organized force in Iraq and Syria.  Its leadership is completely detached from its frontline fighters, the last of whom are surrendering or being killed or captured. Their funding has been cut dramatically, and they will soon no longer control any territory in Iraq and Syria. Some Daesh terrorists will likely remain in the region, or new criminals will be recruited to the organization. We expect they will attempt to destabilize local governance and pass false information to the world via social media and other means. The only way to counter their efforts in the long-term is by ensuring the emergence of stable and unified countries that have the capacity to provide peace and security for their people.

 MIRS: After defeating ISL in Iraq and Syria, how do you treat the Iranian-led Shiite militias in Iraq; how can you guarantee those ethnically directed militias as well as heavily equipped with US weapons, would not fight the Coalition troops in Iraq?

 COL Dillon: It would not be appropriate to respond to rumored allegations or hypothetical situations.

 MIRS: There are many reports and maybe proofs that in the recent clashes between the Shiite militias and the KRG Peshmerga forces, the Shiite militias used US Humvees and Abrams tanks against the Kurdish Peshmerga forces in Kirkuk, the question is that: would the US or the coalition will investigate in those allegations; if proved right, would the US would disarm the Shiite militias?

 COL Dillon: It would not be appropriate to respond to rumored allegations or hypothetical situations. The Coalition and its partners will continue to unrelentingly take the fight to Daesh terrorists in Iraq and Syria, as we have over the past three years. As a result of our combined efforts, we have recovered more than 95% of the land in the terrorists' so-called caliphate, while freeing 6.9 million Syrians and Iraqis. The achieved momentum has protected civilians, provided security that enables freedom of movement and local governance, and built our partners' capacities toward self-sufficiency and greater security and stability in the region and around the world. The Coalition and our partners have restored hope for a better tomorrow in Iraq and Syria, and will maintain this momentum as Daesh continues to lose its ability to generate conventional threats and looks at other ways to propagate its morally bankrupt ideology. This is a period of "consolidating gains" as Operation Inherent Resolve transitions from the physical battlefield to the battlefield of ideas.

Here is what "consolidated gains" means:

* Not allowing Daesh to develop into an effective insurgency

* Provision of security for diplomatic, economic and informational activity

* Increased economic opportunities that benefit individuals and families and demonstrate "a better way" of life than taking arms against fellow citizens or foreigners

* A return to normalcy and self-sufficiency for governments and members of society

* Effective, inclusive and representative governance

* Rebuilding homes, cities, schools, places of worship, and key civilian infrastructure

* Transition from offensive military operations to security functions; policing and border control

* A flourishing of commerce and culture that transcends borders and ethnic groups

* Reconciliation among tribes, sects and ethnic groups to build national unity among citizens of Iraq, and setting conditions for political settlement in Syria

* Increased respect for individual rights, freedoms, histories, cultures and heritage

Every activity that reflects the benefits of peace to two nations torn by years of war is a reflection of consolidated gains.