Posted on 08/30/2014 12:07:52 AM PDT by Steelfish
Why US Air Strikes in Syria Would Damage But Not Destroy ISIS Aug 29, 2014 By KAREN LEIGH
As President Barack Obama mulls widening strikes against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) from northern Iraq into Syrian territory, analysts say that military force could significantly damage the Sunni militant group – but is unlikely to destroy it.
Last week, Obama approved surveillance flights over ISIS-controlled territory in Syria, particularly aimed at the group's stronghold of Raqqa province. Raqqa has served as the springboard from which ISIS has launched its offenses on Mosul, Tikrit and parts of Iraqi Kurdistan, gaining enough ground to form a self-styled statelet.
U.S. airstrikes near Erbil, Iraq, have thus far managed to help Kurdish peshmerga forces retake some territory from ISIS – notably gaining Mosul Dam, the country's largest. U.S. officials have said that at this time, they are not considering sending ground troops into Syria or Iraq.
We asked Brian Fishman, a counterterrorism research fellow at the New America Foundation and a fellow at West Point's Combating Terrorism Center, to weigh in on what U.S. strikes could accomplish against ISIS in Syria.
U.S. military pressure can do a lot of damage to ISIS, but doing deep damage to ISIS is very different than actually destroying the organization or suppressing it for a period of time. That's a big distinction that often gets lost. During the surge in Iraq in 2007, U.S. military pressure was a major component in weakening [al-Qaida], ISIS's predecessor.
Military pressure will limit ISIS's ability to plan and train fighters. It destroys equipment and kills fighters. Most importantly, it will remove their ability to set the terms of the conflict, because they'd be playing defense rather than offense.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
He really is dumb - no-one would expect that bombing only would totally defeat them but what it would do is to weaken them enough to let the armies of Syria, Iraq etc to take them all out! This would be an ideal scenario as it would prevent the West from having to put troops on the ground!
To wound and not destroy would only serve to further provoke their fury. Take it from me, Mr. O, not a good idea whatsoever. That would be like covering oneself with honey, then using a pneumatic drill to make holes in hives belonging to African Bees. Don’t write checks your administration cannot cash.
Nope, islam needs to be put down. Not just ISIS. ISIS is a symptom of islam.
One thing at a time - If I read my Bible correctly that will happen in due time!
From what I have seen this will have to be one squad at a time. Everyone in the IS area must die.
The Tyrant PROTECTS IS.
They Tyrant (and EXEMPT McCain) had sons.
They became ISIL, ISIS
and then IS.
They are Treason, Inc.
Keep repeating this mantra until you feel better:
“Obama is clueless - he just doesn’t know what he’s doing. He’s a well educated guy with good intentions who simply doesn’t have the background to grasp the complexity of foreign affairs.”
By the way, I will be having an open house for my upcoming sale of the Brooklyn Bridge later this week.
——U.S. airstrikes near Erbil, Iraq, have thus far managed to help Kurdish peshmerga forces retake some territory from ISIS – notably gaining Mosul Dam, the country’s largest. U.S. officials have said that at this time, they are not considering sending ground troops into Syria or Iraq.-——
TRANSLATION:
The Kurds requested air strikes to establish and strengthen the new borders of the new states formed by the de facto partitioning of former Iraq.
Good, then weaken them a bunch and let the Kurds and others in the area finish them off. Here’s a novel idea: do this in ... wait for it ... coordination with the Kurds, etc. You know, come up with a PLAN and then do it with a TEAM.
A child could figure this out in 10 seconds. It is so easy, and the failure to do it SO stupid, that this is no accident. It has become so obvious that when I was b!tching about Obama and how he was favoring Hamas over Israel, my 10 - year-old asked me if Obama is a Moslem. My position on that is “If he was, what would he do differently? “
The fear of air strikes are probably just as effective. It causes all of ISIS, especially the leadership, to spend much of their time avoiding JDAMs. It makes it hard for them to meet & plan further terror. It makes it extremely dangerous to gather large forces for attacks as those massed forces are easily seen & destroyed from the air. Travel becomes deadly.
Prior to our air strikes, the “caliph” & his leadership were relatively safe in moving around, meeting in groups, & relaxing beside the pool. I DOUBT they are doing much of any of that recently. Now, it is bunkers, tunnels, & terrifying, high speed road trips.
All of that HAS to interrupt the ISIS schedule of conquest.
Massive Ordinance Air Blast, aka "Mother of all bombs"
Anytime ISIS scum gather in great numbers.
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