Under the Lead Inspector General framework, the Inspectors General for the Department of Defense, Department of State, and the U.S. Agency for International Development conduct oversight of and report on the overseas contingency operation "Operation Inherent Resolve" (OIR). The mission of OIR is to advise, assist, and enable partner forces until they can independently defeat ISIS in designated areas of Iraq and Syria, in order to set conditions for long-term security cooperation frameworks. The broader counter-ISIS campaign includes supporting the Iraqi government and local Syrian partners with civilian-led stabilization activities. This report also discusses the planned, ongoing, and completed oversight work conducted by the Lead IG agencies and our partner oversight agencies during the quarter.
ISIS capabilities remained “degraded” due to Coalition-assisted counterterrorism pressure, but the group continued to pose a threat. With depleting membership and cash reserves, ISIS emphasized fundraising through donations, intimidation, extortion, looting, and kidnapping for ransom, as well as laundering money. ISIS conducted attacks at a low level and operational pace—mostly small-arms and IED attacks and ambushes—but the group still aspired to conduct larger attacks.
USAID and State redirected existing humanitarian assistance programs to respond to earthquakes in Türkiye and northwestern Syria. The United States announced more than $100 million for earthquake response activities in Syria. The earthquakes’ impact on U.S. military and stabilization operations was limited, as those activities occur in the northeastern part of the country, which was not as severely impacted. Separately, in Iraq, the international community continued to transfer humanitarian response operations to Iraqi and Kurdish authorities. However, while Iraqi and Kurdish authorities are increasingly able to manage and fund these activities, they remain unable to do so in some areas of priority need, including displaced persons camps.
Operation Inherent Resolve Lead Inspector General Report in Brief, January 1, 2023-March 31, 2023