Combat· Anti-ISIS Campaign (Op INHERENT RESOLVE)
Syria Operations
This record covers the Marine Corps' ground commitment in Syria during the campaign against the Islamic State, centered on artillery support for the partnered Syrian Democratic Forces.
In 2017 Marines of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit moved into northern Syria to establish an artillery base as the American-backed offensive against Raqqa intensified, the first time American artillery support capability had been placed on the ground in Syria since the anti–Islamic State fight began. The Marines provided sustained fire support to the partner force through the Raqqa campaign and were withdrawn once the city fell, more than four hundred of them departing as the coalition cited the progress of the fight. The commitment exemplified the Operation Inherent Resolve approach of enabling local forces with American firepower rather than committing Marines to direct ground combat. It marked a significant, if deliberately limited, expansion of the conventional American military presence in Syria.
Record no. 775