The Islamic State is “on the run,” and the coalition waging war against it across Syria and Iraq is gaining momentum that will lead to the annihilation of the militant group, U.S. Air Forces Central Command head Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian said Monday.

“You look at what‘s happened over the last couple of weeks, from Mosul to Tal Afar, it’s hard to deny that ISIS is not on the run right now,” Harrigian said. “If you look at the border region, and some of the towns there that ISF [Iraqi Security Forces] is moving after, they are on the run. We’re going to start to see ISIS go to ground, and that will give us an opportunity ... to annihilate them.”

As the war against ISIS, at least as a military force, enters its endgame, Harrigian said the Air Force is now considering how its role will change.

The Air Force will likely assume a posture that allows it to quickly identify and strike any pockets of ISIS fighters that may emerge, he said. That will likely require the Air Force to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets, as well as some strike capability, in cooperation with Iraqi forces and the U.S. intelligence community. This will be especially important as the Iraqi air force matures in coming years, he said.

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Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.

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