ACC commander predicts up to seven-year fight in Iraq, Syria: Since August, coalition forces have conducted about 4, 200 strikes and dropped 14,000 weapons, Carlisle said. About 13,000 enemy fighters have been killed, and about 25 percent of territory has been retaken. Carlisle's optimistic statements come, however, as Islamic State fighters have been able to retake other ground, like the Iraqi city of Ramadi, and is still able to heavily recruit to their ranks, both locally and internationally.
This is all part of a "dynamic and rapidly changing" fight that Carlisle said he expects to last up to seven years. The coalition has been able to make a difference with airpower, but broader issues of the Syrian and Iraqi governments, along with a messy surveillance picture, makes the fight challenging, Carlisle said.
