Operation Inherent Resolve, Report to Congress
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LEAD INSPECTOR GENERAL FOR OVERSEAS CONTINGENCY OPERATIONS OPERATION INHERENT RESOLVE REPORT TO THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS APRIL 1, 2016‒JUNE 30, 2016 LEAD INSPECTOR GENERAL MISSION The Lead Inspector General for Overseas Contingency Operations coordinates among the Inspectors General specified under the law to: • develop a joint strategic plan to conduct comprehensive oversight over all aspects of the contingency operation • ensure independent and effective oversight of all programs and operations of the federal government in support of the contingency operation through either joint or individual audits, inspections, and investigations • promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness and prevent, detect, and deter fraud, waste, and abuse • perform analyses to ascertain the accuracy of information provided by federal agencies relating to obligations and expenditures, costs of programs and projects, accountability of funds, and the award and execution of major contracts, grants, and agreements • report quarterly and biannually to the Congress and the public on the contingency operation and activities of the Lead Inspector General (Pursuant to sections 2, 4, and 8L of the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended) FOREWORD We are pleased to submit the Lead Inspector General (Lead IG) quarterly report to the United States Congress on Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR). This is our sixth quarterly report on this overseas contingency operation (OCO), discharging our individual and collective agency oversight responsibilities pursuant to sections 2, 4, and 8L of the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended. OIR is dedicated to countering the terrorist threat posed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Iraq, Syria, the region, and the broader international community. The U.S. strategy to counter ISIL includes support to military operations associated with OIR, as well as diplomacy, governance, security programs and activities, and, separately, humanitarian assistance. This quarterly report provides information on key events involving OIR as well as an update on the nine Strategic Lines of Effort to Counter ISIL, covering the period from April 1, 2016, through June 30, 2016. This report also features oversight work completed during the quarter by the Lead IG Offices of Inspector General and partner oversight agencies, as well as ongoing and future oversight work. We remain committed to providing effective oversight and timely reporting on OIR to the United States Congress, U.S. government agencies, and U.S. taxpayers. Our collective efforts, and its summation in this report, demonstrate our collaborative approach to providing oversight regarding the OIR contingency operation. We would like to thank the Department of Defense, Department of State, and the U.S. Agency for International Development for their contributions to this report. Glenn A. Fine Steve A. Linick Ann Calvaresi Barr Acting Inspector General Inspector General Inspector General U.S. Department of Defense U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Broadcasting Board of Governors Development On the cover: (clockwise from top left) An Iraqi soldier with the 35th Iraqi Army Brigade prepares machine gun ammo belts during a T-72 machine gun live-fire exercise (U.S. Army photo); a Syrian man sits amid rubble of destroyed buildings (AFP/ABD photo); an Iraqi soldier with the Security Battalion, Nineveh Operations Command, crawls under barbed wire during an obstacle course at Camp Taji, Iraq (U.S. Army photo); a U.S. soldier stacks a package of cement for use in constructing a well at Al Taqaddum Air Base, Iraq (U.S. Air Force photo); Iraqi soldiers practice their sitting firing position (U.S. Army photo); aviation boatswain’s mate directs an F/A-18E Super Hornet on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (U.S. Navy photo). MESSAGE FROM THE LEAD INSPECTOR GENERAL I am pleased to present to the United States Congress the sixth report on Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) and the U.S. strategy to counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). This report summarizes the quarter’s key events and describes completed, ongoing, and planned Lead Inspector General (Lead IG) and partner agency oversight work relating to this activity. As our report discusses in more detail, since April 1, 2016, U.S.-backed forces have liberated territory in Iraq and Syria from ISIL and have degraded their military and financial resources. Despite this progress, terror attacks were launched in Iraq, Syria, and abroad, with ISIL claiming credit or Glenn A. Fine considered to be responsible. This quarter, the Lead IG agencies and oversight partners released nine reports related to OIR and opened 12 new investigations of fraud, waste, and abuse related to the OIR mission. This report gives detailed information on these released reports and 46 ongoing and planned oversight projects. Completed oversight activity includes a Department of Defense Office of Inspector General audit of U.S. Air Force accountability of funds supporting OIR, as reported in the statutorily required Cost of War. This audit found that the information in the reports was unreliable and outdated. The Department of State Office of Inspector General issued reports related to operations of U.S. Embassies under threat by ISIL in the Middle East, including an audit of the contract for support services such as food, water, and fuel to the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. The U.S. Agency for International Development Office of Inspector General continued an investigation into fraud schemes by non-governmental organization procurement staff and vendors in Turkey related to humanitarian aid for Syria. During the quarter, the investigation resulted in partially suspending two programs, and the termination, resignation, or debarment of several individuals. My Lead IG colleagues and I remain committed to our mission of conducting effective oversight of OIR. We especially thank the oversight and investigative teams from across the IG community for their work. Glenn A. Fine Lead Inspector General for Operation Inherent Resolve Acting Inspector General U.S. Department of Defense An Iraqi soldier with the Security Battalion, Nineveh Operations Command, crawls under barbed wire during an obstacle course at Camp Taji, Iraq. (U.S. Army photo) CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 OPERATION INHERENT RESOLVE 15 Funding of Activities in Iraq and Syria 16 Spotlight on Treasury’s Work to Disrupt ISIL Finances 26 The Coalition Versus ISIL 29 The Status of ISIL 41 Governance in Iraq 44 Stabilization in Iraq 46 Syrian Civil War (non-OIR) 49 HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE 59 Iraqi Crisis 63 Syrian Crisis 72 COMPLETED OVERSIGHT ACTIVITY 83 Lead IG Staffing 84 Outreach 84 Completed Audit, Inspection, and Evaluation Projects 85 Investigations 92 Hotline Activity 98 ONGOING AND PLANNED OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES 101 Strategic Planning 102 Ongoing Projects 104 Planned Projects 110 APPENDIXES 113 Acronyms and Definitions 124 Endnotes 125 APRIL 1, 2016‒JUNE 30, 2016 • REPORT TO THE U.S. CONGRESS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This quarterly report is issued pursuant to section 8L of the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, which requires that the designated Lead IG provide a quarterly report, available to the public, on a contingency operation. The Department of Defense (DoD) Inspector General is the designated Lead IG for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR). The Department of State (DoS) is the Associate Lead Inspector General for OIR. This report contains information from the three Lead IG agencies—DoD, DoS, and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)—as well as from partner oversight agencies. This OIR report covers the period from April 1, 2016, through June 30, 2016. The U.S.-led Coalition to counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) continued to liberate territory in Iraq and Syria, even as deadly terrorist attacks claimed or inspired by ISIL struck the region and abroad. In the last two years, Coalition-backed forces have regained nearly half of the territory in Iraq and 20 percent of the territory in Syria once held by the terrorist group.1 In a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on June 28, Brett McGurk, the Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, testified that the situation had improved considerably: “In July 2014, I testified before this committee as ISIL was expanding its territory, threatening Baghdad, and appeared unstoppable. The situation today is measurably different. ISIL has not launched a significant offensive in over a year; it is losing cities–Tikrit, Ramadi, Falluja, Hit, Shadadi, and soon, Manbij–that were central to its rise; and the Coalition-backed forces arrayed against it are increasingly confident and on offense, with our support.”2 In April, Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter announced additional resources to accelerate support for the campaign against ISIL in Iraq and Syria, including sending more U.S. Special Operations Forces and financial assistance to the Kurdish Peshmerga in Iraq.3 Military operations backed by the U.S.-led Global Coalition to Counter ISIL resulted in the seizure of strategically important locations in Anbar province during the quarter, including Falluja—the first major Iraqi city to fall to ISIL—which was declared fully liberated on June 28, 2016. In addition, operations to isolate Mosul in Iraq and ISIL’s self-proclaimed capital of Raqqa in Syria continued. A campaign is underway to seize the Manbij pocket in Syria, the last remaining open border to Turkey readily available to ISIL. Coalition airstrikes continued to eliminate key ISIL leaders, oil convoys, and financial targets.4 Despite these losses, ISIL, under pressure, remained deadly. This quarter, the organization launched a wave of bombings in Iraq and Syria: at least 6 attacks killed around 80 people in April; 11 attacks left approximately APRIL 1, 2016‒JUNE 30, 2016 • REPORT TO THE U.S. CONGRESS 1 LEAD IG FOR OPERATION INHERENT RESOLVE U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry with Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL Brett McGurk on April 8, 2016, at the U.S.