Posted on 05/26/2015 6:03:58 AM PDT by pabianice
WASHINGTON (Tribune News Service) — The Obama administration intensified its defense of the president’s strategy against the Islamic State group, with Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter making a vigorous case that the terrorist group can be defeated only if the Iraqis “develop the will to fight.”
After Islamic State victories in the Iraqi city of Ramadi and in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra last week, Carter fended off suggestions that it’s time to position U.S. ground troops and troop air controllers near the trouble spots to contain the Islamic State.
Local officials and fighters must take responsibility, he said.
“They are the ones that have to beat ISIL and keep them beat,” Carter said on CNN’s “State of the Union,” using the government’s preferred acronym for the group. “We can participate in the defeat of ISIL but we can’t make Iraq run as a decent place for people to live. We can’t sustain the victory; only the Iraqis can do that.”
(Excerpt) Read more at stripes.com ...
Maybe because they are buying what ISIS is selling?
I’m glad to see there is one straight talker in this administration.
Hypothetical.
ISIS takes half of Baghdad and 3/4 of Damascus. Assad flees.
What do we do?
“Nuke from orbit....the only way to be sure”
Watch them march on Iran
Get rid of Obama and Boener and the Ky jerk and install Joe Biden he could make a complete ass out of America after all look who he hangs out with more losers Alcie still paying for his impeachment lawyers hastings , Debbie loudmouth schultz, Nancy me and my husband own most of San Fransico Pelosi....birds of a feather failures together...
I think we should let ISIS form a sovereign nation, let all the people who want to live in an Islamic theocracy congregate, in other words, spend a few years or a decade or so and let them create a unified Caliphate including all those areas. Promise UN recognition and trade relations, etc.
Then nuke it, after they are all in one place.
Seriously? I think that eventually we will have a unified Islamic state. It’s what a big majority of the populations of those countries seem to want. This leaves us with the options of either accepting it or destroying it. We keep viewing the middle east through our own filter, rather than the way most of those people view their mixture of religion and politics. It might be easier to deal with than the current situation. IF someone wants to live under a theocracy isn’t trying to stop them pretty futile?
I can’t understand why people are so confused by this. They don’t care about that sh!t hole they live in.
They were and are just in it for the money.
Michael Corleone: I saw a strange thing today. Some rebels were being arrested. One of them pulled the pin on a grenade. He took himself and the captain of the command with him. Now, soldiers are paid to fight; the rebels aren’t.
Hyman Roth: What does that tell you?
Michael Corleone: They could win.
except the strategy if ISIS is not to congregate, but to spread to every state that has a muslim population. they will continue to project outward. any allowance by us to allow them to do what the want is considered submission on our part. Enacted defacto Sharia in our state. Dhimmi status by our citizens.
The ones who are Sunni Muslims should be buying what Sunni ISIS is selling, and not trying to kill ISIS for the benefit of the Shiites in Baghdad and Iran, and us Infidels. -Tom
Good analogy.
looking back, during Desert Storm the Iraqis would surrender to anyone in sight including journalists covering the war.
That goes overlooked but it remains relevant today.
IMO.
Iraq is only an arbitrary place on a map. It is not a country. Its Shiite Arab majority has yet to show they can defend or govern themselves. It looks more and more like the only question about their future is whose slaves they become.
I would think that getting their head chopped off if they fail would make the military fight harder, not fight less. I just don’t understand them.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.