DUBAI — The US-led coalition against the Islamic State group plans to increase the number of airstrikes in Syria in the near future, a top US general said Saturday.

Lt. Gen Charles Brown Jr., commander of AFCENT, said strikes should increase in a matter of "weeks" as conditions on the ground evolve.

"Oh yeah," Brown said in response to a question of if the strike numbers will begin going up, before pushing back somewhat at the narrative that strikes had dropped in the last two months.

"Every strike's not equal," Brown told reporters at the Dubai International Air Chiefs Conference. "A strike can be one weapon, or it could be 40 weapons. And that's part of the challenge you run into when you start talking strike numbers."

"My goal is to come back with zero weapons," he added. "That might be unrealistic because we're doing overwatch but I'm trying to take advantage of every opportunity I can."

The number of reported airstrikes by the US in Syria dropped once Russia began flying in Syria, going from an average of seven strikes a day in August down to less than four strikes a day in October. The Pentagon has denied that Russia's presence has been the driver for that dip in strikes, instead blaming a series of factors including an increased focus of US airpower on Iraq and environmental factors.

Brown told reporters that targets from the Islamic State, commonly known as ISIS or ISIL, have largely been stationary in recent weeks. When that reality was combined with some weather issues, he said, the number of targets has simply been smaller than it was over the summer.

"When the ground force moves around, the enemy moves and they make themselves more vulnerable and their easier to strike," he said. "So we're able to pick up the pace. So that's why there is a little bit of a drop. The Russians have nothing to do with it."

The AFCENT commander also disagreed with those who feel the use of airpower has been handcuffed in how it applies air power, in particular the argument that some civilian casualties may be acceptable if it means wiping out the greater threat that is ISIS.

"Part of our coalition is to minimize civilian casualties," Brown said. "Part of this is getting the population to decide who is on their side, the insurgency or the coalition. And if we just start wiping out civilians, there is potential there that they go differently."

Email: amehta@defensenews.com

Twitter: @AaronMehta

Aaron Mehta was deputy editor and senior Pentagon correspondent for Defense News, covering policy, strategy and acquisition at the highest levels of the Defense Department and its international partners.

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