Good day……while you were distracted by a whole lot of BS the war in the Middle East marches on……I will try to keep you informed….after all your children may be fighting this conflict for a long while.

Item 1–One could ask…..how well are the airstrikes doing at slowing ISIS?

ISIS continues to gain substantial ground in Syria, despite nearly 800 airstrikes in the American-led campaign to break its grip there.

At least one-third of the country’s territory is now under ISIS influence, with recent gains in rural areas that can serve as a conduit to major cities that the so-called Islamic State hopes to eventually claim as part of its caliphate. Meanwhile, the Islamic extremist group does not appear to have suffered any major ground losses since the strikes began. The result is a net ground gain for ISIS, according to information compiled by two groups with on-the-ground sources.

In Syria, ISIS “has not any lost any key terrain,” Jennifer Cafarella, a fellow at the Washington, D.C.-based Institute for the Study of War who studies the Syrian conflict, explained to The Daily Beast.

Does that answer the question?

Item 2–Is that a troop build up?

The Pentagon is confirming that hundreds of additional US ground troops are heading to Iraq, to be deployed at myriad locations in the role of military trainers.

The US has been sending ever-growing numbers of ground troops to Iraq, and positioning them deeper and deeper into ISIS territory, for months, and officials said today that the plan is for ground operations to begin sometime in the spring.

Officials say the program is going to involve around 1,000 troops, split between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar. 400 troops are said to be heading for Qatar to begin the training.

The Islamic State, also known as ISIS, is about to launch an online TV channel, according to the Vocativ website.A “teaser” for the new channel was published this week on a popular ISIS online forum with a link to the page that will host the 24/7 propaganda channel.The new channel is expected to feature a new video series by British captive John Cantlie, who has already made several videos for ISIS, and a daily news program.Also scheduled is a program called “Time to Recruit,” which is expected to deal with the recruitment of young Muslims to the ranks of the jihadist organization. The program will be broadcast on Wednesdays at 5 P.M. Islamic State Time (GMT+3.)

(Reuters) – The Syrian state news agency on Friday attacked U.S. military plans to train and equip Syrian rebels, saying they amounted to support for terrorists.

The insurgency is today dominated by hardline Islamist groups including Islamic State and the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front. The non-jihadist opposition has little presence.

The United States has not yet said exactly which elements of the opposition it plans to train, though it says the support will go to moderates.