As Sunni Tribes Sit on Sidelines, U.S. Airstrikes Don’t Halt ISIS (IOW Ground Troops Needed) [View all]

[morningfog]

After six weeks of American airstrikes, the Iraqi government’s forces have scarcely budged Sunni extremists of the Islamic State from their hold on more than a quarter of the country, in part because many critical Sunni tribes remain on the sidelines.

Although the airstrikes appear to have stopped the extremists’ march toward Baghdad, the Islamic State is still dealing humiliating blows to the Iraq government forces. On Monday, the government acknowledged that it had lost control of the northern town of Sijr and lost contact with several hundred of its soldiers who had been trapped for several days at a camp north of the Islamic State stronghold of Falluja, in Anbar Province.

By midday, there were reports that hundreds of soldiers had been killed in battle or mass executions. Ali Bedairi, a lawmaker from the governing alliance, said more than 300 soldiers had died after the loss of the base, Camp Saqlawiya, although his count could not be confirmed.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/23/world/middleeast/isis-iraq-airstrikes.html?_r=0

How long will the ineffectiveness go on before the generals recommend a larger ground presence. And this is in Iraq, where there is already an army.