Posted on 01/06/2015 1:26:19 AM PST by Olog-hai
In an interview, US General John Allen, Washingtons special envoy for countering the Islamic State, discusses why he believes the recent military campaign has reversed the terrorist group's momentum but warns the battle to stop its ideology could take years. [ ]
Spiegel: President Obama has stated he wants to ultimately destroy and dismantle IS. Was it a mistake to set such a maximalist goal that is almost impossible to reach?
Allen: It's important to have a clear understanding of what we ultimately seek. I dont believe that the president intended to imply the annihilation of Daesh. That is far beyond our thinking in this regard. We want to deny Daesh the ability to have safe havens either in Iraq or, ultimately, in Syria, to preclude its capacity to organize an existential threat to those countries. Annihilation requires a great deal of investment, resources and time. The defeating, dismantling and degrading of Daesh, and ultimately destroying the idea, is the long-term objective. Its important to understand that what were undertaking as a coalition is much bigger, much broader, than simply the military role. The military role is the most conspicuous right now and attracts the most attention. We have five lines of effort that in the end converge to degrade and defeat Daesh: providing military support to our partners; impeding the flow of foreign fighters; stopping ISs financing and funding; addressing humanitarian crises in the region; and exposing ISs true nature.
(Excerpt) Read more at spiegel.de ...
Junior Varsity measures.
Nothing worse than a sheep in wolves clothing.
wolf’s (I was going to say, “Ask Mattis,” but I have reservations there, too. Marines love his verbiage.)
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.