Airstrikes Against ISIS  “A bad joke”

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The air strikes against ISIS have been going on for the last nine months .

The air war, which Secretary of State John Kerry  described as definitively not a war, but rather “a heightened level of counterterrorism operation,” shows no sign of ending. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Gen. Lloyd Austin told the House Armed Services Committee in March, “The enemy is now in a ‘defensive crouch,’ and is unable to conduct major operations.” The According to Defense One , the Pentagon has released a series of maps that purportedly detail the loss of territory under control by IS. However, the number and competence of Iraqi and Kurdish ground forces required to ultimately defeat IS militants on the ground, and then control, secure, and administer newly freed territory, are lacking. In an unnoticed indicator found in the prepared testimony before the House Armed Services Committee, two U.S. Air Force lieutenant generals acknowledged: “These combat operations are expected to continue long-term (3+ years).”

U.S. officials have gone to great lengths to emphasize the contribution of coalition members in conducting airstrikes against IS, and, in September, even refused to expand the scope of its targets until those partners publicly committed their support.  It is no surprise, given its vastly larger and more proficient aerial capabilities, that the United States has been the primary source of all airstrikes against IS, even while the number of participating militaries has increased from nine to twelve since September 3,731 air strikes have been performed since ,but with very limited effect.

The Israeli sources told I-HLS that with the potential capabilities of only the U,S there were expectations for a greater effect ” the strikes are more a show of power that a real use of air power” one of the sources said.

He added that the U.S alone could have performed “much more” effective strikes .” It’s not an operational problem its more a diplomatic problem of not getting to deep into that mud”