What the fight against ISIS looks like from above ground
ABOARD THE USS HARRY S TRUMAN -- On Tuesday, the Iraqi general leading the fight to re-take Fallujah from ISIS said victory is just days away.
But bombs and booby traps are slowing the progress. Iraq is getting help on the ground from Iran, and from the air by the U.S.
Roughly 20 percent of coalition air strikes launch from the USS Harry S. Truman -- 1,800 combat sorties since December, reports CBS News' Seth Doane.
"These are precision-guided weapons so they should be able to strike their targets exactly where they need to," said U.S. Navy pilot Lt. Matthew Matlock.
The target is ISIS -- not just the militants themselves, but also the infrastructure. That includes the militants' bomb factories, logistic hubs -- even stockpiles of cash.
"We've taken back 45 percent of what ISIL had been claiming," said Lt. Commander Paolo Singh, Matlock's wingman.
"You're trying to hit everything at the base of the cause instead of kind of pecking at the little guys here and there," Matlock explained.
"Was that 'pecking at the little guys' what was happening before?" Doane asked.
"No, I wouldn't say that at all. I think the targets have evolved and they are constantly going to evolve," Matlock responded.
U.S. special forces are playing an advisory role in Fallujah. Their presence is shaping what these pilots are able to do from above.
"Whether we're supporting them by being 'the eyes in the sky,' or actually striking targets that they're actually passing out to us, it's a team effort," Singh said.
"Are you seeing anything on the ground change?" Doane wondered.
"On the ground you can see exactly what's happening when you're actually in those 'hot areas,' I guess you could say, seeing where the ground has been taken and where it has been lost or gained," Matlock said.
Recent gains on the battlefield may be traced back to the deck of the aircraft carrier. But the pilots told us while they may see some change during deployment, this is going to be a long term effort.