The West and Islamic State: Once more into the quagmire

[unhappycamper]

http://www.ipolitics.ca/2014/09/21/the-west-and-islamic-state-once-more-into-the-quagmire/



The West and Islamic State: Once more into the quagmire
By Stewart Webb and Scott Nicholas Romaniuk | Sep 21, 2014 8:57 pm

The Obama administration has made it clear: Islamic State has got to go. Now, the United States is saying that it will not only bomb IS positions, but train moderate Syrian rebel forces as well.

But the U.S. Army is dragging its heels on this integral facet of Obama’s IS strategy. The strategy is to get moderate Syrian rebels to close the border between Iraq and Syria. Gen. Martin Dempsey is warning lawmakers that the training required to get them ready to do so is likely to take longer than a year.

Naturally, an American IS strategy will need to encompass a Syrian approach on the ground. Air strikes alone won’t be enough to dislodge IS fighters from their positions. There are several problems with the Syrian end of the plan, though.

IS continues gaining ground in Syria. It’s increasingly becoming clear that IS is withdrawing its disciplined, loyal and battle-hardened fighters and equipment from Iraq and sending them back to Syria. An influx of foreign fighters easily allows IS to do this.