Fact-Checking Trump’s Claim on U.S. Attacking ISIS ‘Much Harder’

The following article by Sean McMinn was posted on the Roll Call website November 10, 2017:

As the terrorist group loses ground, there are fewer targets to attack

A U.S. Air Force munitions team member, seen here in 2016, uncases the laser-guided tip of a bomb used for airstrikes on ISIS targets at a base in the Persian Gulf region. (John Moore/Getty Images file photo)

U.S. and coalition strikes against the Islamic State terrorist group have fallen dramatically in the last month, despite President Donald Trump’s assertion last week that the military had hit the group “much harder” in response to a terrorist attack in New York City.

On Nov. 1 and 2, the days on which Trump said the military had stepped up attacks against ISIS, coalition forces launched 24 strikes in Iraq and Syria. That is less than half the two-day strike average for coalition forces since March 31, according to a Roll Call analysis of Defense Department news releases.

On Tuesday, Oct. 31, a man who expressed support for ISIS killed eight people by driving down a bike path in Manhattan. Days later, the president, in a Twitter post, promised retaliatory measures against the terrorist group. Continue reading “Fact-Checking Trump’s Claim on U.S. Attacking ISIS ‘Much Harder’”