Pentagon, Obama Plan Strikes on ISIS in Syria
By: Alex LaRosa,
Staff Writer
Over in the nation of Iraq, United States warplanes once again fly overhead, dropping bombs on suspected terrorists in an attempt to stop the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, commonly known as ISIS, a relatively new terrorist group that poses a significant threat to peace in that region. While the US has begun performing airstrikes in Iraq, there was still no plan for the terrorist group’s forces in Syria. Now, on September 18, the Pentagon drafted and approved a plan of action for those forces, but according to reports, they are still waiting on President Obama’s sign-off.
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and General Martin Dempsey announced the new plan on Thursday. Hagel noted that it includes strikes on ISIS “safe havens… command and control, logistics capabilities, and infrastructure” (Carney). Now, the Pentagon waits for President Obama’s approval, as they will need executive permission to begin the strikes. While President Obama has announced that ISIS in Syria will be targeted, Hagel and other Pentagon officials do not know when, or to what extent. Since August, the US has launched close to 170 airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq, but only now is there a plan of action in Syria.
The problem with this plan, however, is that by bombing ISIS in Syria, the United States will be helping the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, which has been unable to contain the group. The government of President Assad has said that if the US does not coordinate the strikes with them, then every strike will be seen as an act of aggression against Syria, rather than help. Meanwhile, Hagel also met with US Senators to discuss a new plan to train moderate rebel fighters in Syria, who are now on both sides of the conflict. The moderate rebels, such as the Free Syrian Army, are with ISIS in the fight against President Assad’s government, but are opposed to ISIS’s extremist policies.
These extremist policies, of course, are posing a problem for the Western world, as ISIS continues to capture and decapitate foreign journalists. One victim was British journalist David Haines. British Prime Minister David Cameron spoke of this execution, calling it “an act of pure evil” (Berlinger). Cameron pledged to “hunt down these murderers and ensure they face justice, however long it takes” (Berlinger).With statements such as that, it appears that the United States will not be alone in its fight against ISIS. In the face of such actions, many have called for more than just airstrikes on ISIS forces.
Congressman Buck McKeon was one of many voices that are calling for American soldiers to be placed into both nations. “We cannot succeed from the safety of some headquarters building,” he said, implying that the military will need to put boots on the ground in order to stop ISIS (Carney). Still, President Obama’s strategy relies only on airstrikes for now. In his words, America will “degrade and ultimately destroy” the group. He also said that when action finally comes into being, it will not be limited to just Iraq and Syria. The US military, in his words, will “hunt down terrorists who threaten our country wherever they are” (Dooley).
At this point, however, the Pentagon and President Obama have yet to come to an agreement on this action. President Obama was briefed on the new plan for striking Syria’s ISIS fighters on Wednesday, but is still silent on what he plans to do. “We will not get dragged into another ground war in Iraq,” he pledged, but he offered no backup plan for if the airstrikes do not work. Now, as the conflict in Iraq and Syria widens, threatening security in the region and peace at home, it is on President Obama’s shoulders to order military action that will, in theory, stop the Islamic State.
Works Cited
Berlinger, Joshua, Tom Foreman, Jim Acosta, Steve Almasy, Deborah Bloom, and Nick Paton Walsh. "ISIS Execution Videos Strikingly Similar." CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 23 Sept. 2014.
Carney, Jordain. "Pentagon Signs Off on Plan for Striking ISIS in Syria." Www.nationaljournal.com. National Journal, n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2014.
Dooley, Erin, Mary Bruce, and Michael Falcone. "Obama Pledges to 'Degrade and Ultimately Destroy' ISIS: What You Need To Know." ABC News. ABC, 10 Sept. 2014. Web. 23 Sept. 2014.