Obama’s Iraq Plan Has a Killer Flaw—and Airstrikes Alone May Not Save It -- Jacob Siegel, Daily Beast
The U.S. gambled on local militias to keep ISIS in check. The president’s authorization of airstrikes is an admission that bet didn’t pay off.
Friday morning, with a humanitarian mission already underway, the United States began airstrikes on ISIS in northern Iraq. What had been the U.S. policy—to rely on local forces to contain ISIS while waiting for a new Iraqi government to reach a political solution—is finished. The new policy is still taking shape, but it may eventually lead to more involvement from the special operations troops who have been in Iraq for weeks.
President Obama said Thursday night he had authorized airstrikes to protect American personnel and the Yazidi minority group stranded by ISIS on top of Mt. Sinjar. A senior administration official later stressed to reporters that U.S. forces were not launching a “sustained campaign” against ISIS in Iraq.
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My Comment: Kurdish representatives warned last month that they did not have the means or resources to stop any ISIS advance against the Christian and Yazidi communities under their protection .... but the U.S. administration choose to ignore them .... hence the tragedy that we are facing today.
.... Since early June, representatives of Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government have warned the United States that the Kurdish Peshmerga were not positioned to protect the Yazidi and Christian minorities in the Kurdish region.
As Commander in Chief President Obama was and is responsible for this decision .... and now for U.S. policy to be effective .... the difficult decision of placing U.S. boots on the ground to coordinate air strikes and provide support to Kurdish forces will now need to be made. My prediction .... this White House will bide it's time and hope for the best .... they will continue the air strikes and they will deploy a few Special Forces in the field to assess the situation .... but the Islamic State has proven itself to be far more effective and dangerous foe than what was been predicted by this White House .... and my guess is that they are going to be making the decision for President Obama on what to do next sooner rather than later.
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