A U.S. fighter jet launches from the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson in the Arabian Gulf in this file photo. (REUTERS)
New York Times: U.S. Says Its Strikes Are Hitting More Significant ISIS Targets
WASHINGTON — Nearly two years into the American-led air war against the Islamic State, military officials say they have corrected the poor intelligence collection and clumsy process for identifying targets that initially plagued the campaign, and are now hitting targets like oil rigs and secret cash coffers that finance the terrorist group’s war machine.
The destruction in recent months of these targets, deep behind enemy lines — which commanders previously avoided for fear of causing civilian casualties — has seriously damaged the Islamic State’s ability to pay its fighters, govern and attract new recruits, military officials say.
“We’re hitting them where it hurts a lot more than we were in the past,” Lt. Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., the air war commander, said in one of two recent telephone interviews from his headquarters in Qatar. “Every bomb now has a greater impact.”
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WNU Editor: After two years of air-strikes .... the narrative changes again.
1 comment:
This may well ve true, at presenr. I would expect the enemy to adapt to the currentUS/"allied" strategy, then the US/"allies" adapt, and it goes on. This one could last a VERY, VERY long time.
The enemy has a bountiful supply of will and a large pool of fighters willing and able to take up it's cause. While I can't speak for the other allies, the US is deficient in both will and available fighting personnel who are willing and able to take up it's cause. I suspect the "allies" are in much the same position.
We should be under no delusions. This is a VERY tough enemy. When this enemy first became visible team Obama called it the "jv" team. I patiently pointed out that team Obama was invorrect in analyzing this. It seems I was correct and team Obama was wrong.
Add to this mix incompetent leadership at all levels, at least on the US side, and things are further complicated. Unfortunately "allied" leaders don't seem much better, if at all.
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