Smoke raises behind an Islamic State flag after Iraqi security forces and Shiite fighters took control of Saadiya in Diyala province from Islamist State militants, November 24, 2014.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s decision to send troops to Iraq has received mixed reactions from experts. While some believe that it will help the security of the country, some think that it is unlikely to make Iraqi army stronger. Smoke raises behind an Islamic State flag after Iraqi security forces and Shiite fighters took control of Saadiya in Diyala province from Islamist State militants, November 24, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer REUTERS/Stringer

ISIS targets in Syria and Iraq were attacked on New Year's Eve by the U.S.-led coalition in an effort to eradicate the group's strongholds in the region. Fighter planes and aircraft launched 29 airstrikes against 17 ISIS targets in Syria and 12 in Iraq.

In a recently released statement, the Combined Joint Task Force revealed that the U.S. and its allies has struck ISIS targets including those near the cities of Al Raqqah and Dayz az Zawr in the town of Kobani near the Turkish border. The U.S.-led coalition said several buildings seized by ISIS and their battle units were hit. The airstrikes in Iraq were first launched in August 8 followed by Syrian attacks on September 23, The Guardian reported.

Efforts to push back ISIS militants have intensified in the past months. According to Al-Arabiya, one ISIS leader named Mohanned Salih al-Suwaidi was killed after an encounter with Iraqi forces east of Fallujah city in the Anbar province. The U.S. has started training the first wave of recruits for the Iraqi army in a collective effort to amass enough forces to launch an offensive against ISIS in the spring. Military officials in Baghdad told the New York Times that the first of the U.S.-trained army recruits will soon be ready to join the fight against ISIS. Officials said coalition forces are planning to train 5,000 new recruits every six weeks.

Maj. Gen. Paul Funk II, the U.S. commander supervising the training program of Iraqi recruits, said the new personnel have completed their basic training and are now ready for the advanced programme. In the recent days, the first new recruits of about 1,600 men arrived at Camp Taji, a base in northern Baghdad, while others were sent to the Al Asad Air Base in Anbar Province.

The training mission runs parallel with the military planning of the U.S. and Iraqi officials concerning details of an offensive against ISIS. The campaign has already begin with the intensifying U.S.-led coalition strikes around Mosul with the goal of cutting off the city's crucial supply lines to draw out ISIS.

Contact email: r.su@ibtimes.com.au