Some thoughts:
1. It is very hard to win a war if the press reports on civilian casualties. There were enormous civilian casualties in Iraq II (upwards of 100K — many of which were no doubt enemy combatants too), but they were not reported on. In contrast, the MSM reports vigorously on casualties in places like Gaza, which raise the profile of the conflict and makes it impossible for Israel to actually win.
2. Pin prick raids are ineffective. You probably need to roll out the B-52s and the AC-130s. But then....see point #1.
3. Women in combat. The first time ISIS captures and executes a woman soldier, all h@ll will break loose. Not sure if that will work for us or against us.
4. The Middle East is such a mess, it is hard to see how this gets resolved without a long term American presence. Either that, or, allow the Turks to rule large swaths of it like they did during the Ottoman Empire. The problem is the current Turkish leadership. Nor do I trust the Saudis. And the Iranians are out of the question. Another option is to build up the Kurds, as they may be the most reliable faction — like the Jews, everyone seems to delight in trying to exterminate them.
In the end, it might be best to carve out well defended, oil rich safe areas and let everything else go to h@ll in a handbasked.
If you haven't already done so, please watch the embedded video about the Kurdish women fighters. They are good. I don't think our gender "equality" women fighters could measure up to them.