The Commanding General of III Corps, Lt. Gen. Paul E. Funk II, is currently deployed to the Middle East to lead the efforts of the Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve, the fight against ISIS.
On Sept. 5, III Corps Commanding General Paul Funk II took over Operation Inherent Resolve -- assisting Iraq and Syria in their fight against ISIS.
"Our partners both in Syria and Iraq have really got the upper hand on these guys. We've liberated, they've liberated 7.5 million people," Lt. Gen. Paul E. Funk II said.
After the liberation of the ISIS capitals in Mosul, Iraq and Raqqah, Syria, ISIS no longer holds a large center in either country.
"When Raqqah fell, the enemy, their leaders left... the ISIS leaders abandoned their soldiers and fighters," Lt. Gen. Funk added.
Commanding General Funk says ISIS now only fights in scattered, small groups because of their recent losses.
"We are within an eyelash of the defeat of the physical caliphate," Lt. Gen. Funk said.
Funk says the world hasn't seen fighting like this since World War II, with soldiers, Iraqi and American, clearing cities block by block, house by house.
"These ISIS guys left so many IEDs in place, it's going to take us a while to clear what we call explosive remnants of war. They put booby traps and bombs almost in every house," Lt. Gen. Funk added.
But, our troops along with the Iraqi Security Forces and Syrian partners refuse to back down, continuing to take the fight to ISIS.
"They are fighting for their very survival now, and... we hunt them. Just in '17 alone, we've had 117 high-value individuals that have been killed by either our Syrian partners or the coalition. So, if you're a leader in ISIS, you're a marked man," Lt. Gen. Funk said.
In order to completely defeat ISIS, Lieutenant General Funk says they must not only defeat the Islamic State physically but also destroy their beliefs and everything they stand for.
Copyright 2017 KXXV. All rights reserved.
