Islamic state Archives

Military Connection: US Troops to Return to Anbar? By Debbie Gregory

November 20, 2014/in Archived Blogs

Department of Defense officials are devising a plan to send U.S. personnel to Iraq’s Anbar Province. The mission of American service members has not changed. If sent into the region, they would act as advisors for Iraq’s forces against the Islamic State.

Advisors from the U.S. military are currently operating in areas near Baghdad and Irbil in the northern part of Iraq. This new plan would put U.S. troops in the middle of some of the heaviest fighting in the country.

The majority of Iraq’s Anbar Province is currently under the control of the Islamic State. Officials, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey, believe that providing training and support for Iraq’s Sunni tribes to go on the offensive against the Islamic State is crucial to defeating the terrorist group.

In a news conference last week, Gen. Dempsey hinted at the possibility of the new role after discussing a report on a Sunni tribe that has suffered mass executions at the hands of the Islamic State.

“That”s why we need to expand the train-advise-and-assist mission into the Al- Anbar Province,” Dempsey told reporters. “But the precondition for that is that the government of Iraq is willing to arm the tribes.”

Dempsey reported that the United States had “positive indications” from the Iraqi government that they were prepared to do that, but had not yet done so.

Pentagon officials believe that such a mission could open the door to the formation of an Iraqi National Guard, while at the same time aid Iraq in regaining control of the province from the Islamic State.

As of yet, there is no timeline when U.S. troops would be staged as advisors in the Anbar Province.

During the U.S.-led war in Iraq, Anbar was the setting of a violent insurgency. It was only with the help of Sunni tribes that al Qaeda was driven from the region. During this conflict against the Islamic State, thousands of Sunni have died, including 400 members of the Abu Nimer, who were recently killed after standing up to the Islamic State.

Many believe that without aid and training from the U.S., any Iraqis who want to remove the Islamic State from their land will be hard-pressed to do so.

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Military Connection: US Troops to Return to Anbar? By Debbie Gregory

Military Connection: US/Turkey Not Done Talking: By Debbie Gregory

October 23, 2014/in Archived Blogs

This week, there have been more than a few media misfires concerning the United States’ relationship with its ally, Turkey, and the agreement to allow the U.S. military to carry out missions over Syria from Turkish air bases.

On Sunday, October 12, 2014, it was reported by several major media outlets that Turkey had agreed to allow the U.S. to use their air bases to stage air strikes over Syria against the Islamic State (IS), also referred to as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Early the next day, Turkish officials were adamant that no deal had been struck, and that talks were still in progress. This announcement prompted several news sources to release stories that hinted of hostilities between the U.S. and Turkey. These stories told of bickering and confusion between the two allies, and even a possible rupture in the alliance. But perhaps it was the news sources that may have been confused.

DOD officials say that Turkey has agreed “in principle” to allowing the U.S. military the use of its air bases, but there are still several details that need to be ironed out before the deal can be finalized. Besides Turkey’s hesitancy to welcome a foreign military into their sovereignty, the Turks have a few other concerns that need to be negotiated.

Turkey has insisted on a no-fly zone over northern Syria, near the Turkey-Syria border, that would facilitate the continued arming and training of moderate rebels to fight against Syria’s Assad regime. The U.S. has resisted this plan despite belief that providing a haven for these rebels could help them fight the IS forces.

Americans reading about the ongoing talks should be aware that Turkey has been a long-time ally to the U.S., as well as a member of NATO. Turkey has been an ongoing partner in the fight against the IS, and has shared intelligence with the U.S. military, as well as participated in a U.S.-led mission to arm and train moderate rebels in Syria. Turkey has granted the U.S. access to a base in Incirlik, to be used as a staging area for surveillance drones.

It is hoped that the tense negotiations will end soon, and the U.S. will be granted a staging area in Turkey to provide better support for our allies that are fighting against the IS on the ground.

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Military Connection: US/Turkey Not Done Talking: By Debbie Gregory

Military Connection: Robert Gates on Obama’s Plan: By Debbie Gregory

September 28, 2014/in Archived Blogs

On September 10^th, President Obama addressed the nation and offered his official stance on the Islamic State, and American involvement in Iraq and in Syriagoing forward. In his address, the president vowed to degrade and ultimately destroy the Islamic State. In order to accomplish this, the president called for the continuation of airstrikes, while at the same time saying that he would not send ground forces back into Iraq.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey, stated his belief that the use of American ground forces would be necessary to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates weighed in on the topic, and appeared to agree with Gen. Dempsey. In an interview with CBS News on September 17^th, Mr. Gates said that he believed that President Obama will need to send Americans boots on the ground to combat the Islamic State.

“The reality is, they”re not gonna be able to be successful against ISIS strictly from the air, or strictly depending on the Iraqi forces, or the Peshmerga, or the Sunni tribes acting on their own,” Gates said in the interview. “So there will be boots on the ground if there”s to be any hope of success in the strategy. And I think that by continuing to repeat that [the U.S. won”t put boots on the ground], the president, in effect, traps himself.”

While the former defense secretary admitted that he thinks the president’s plan is sound, Mr. Gates says that he feels that the president’s promise to destroy the Islamic State is unrealistic.

“I”m also concerned that the goal has been stated as degrade and destroy, or degrade and defeat ISIS,” Gates told CBS. “We”ve been at war with al Qaeda for 13 years. We have dealt them some terrible blows, including the killing of Osama bin Laden. But I don”t think anybody would say that after 13 years we’ve destroyed or defeated al Qaeda.”

Mr. Gates continued his point by saying:

“And so I think to promise that we”re going to destroy ISIS, or ISIL, sets a goal that may be unattainable, as opposed to devastating it, or whereas the vice president would put it, ”following ”em to the gates of hell”, and dealing them terrible blows that prevent them from holding territory. Those are probably realistic goals.”

For now, Americans watch with growing concern as American pilots continue their airstrikes against I.S. forces. As the conflict continues in Iraq and in Syria, many current service members face the possibility of a third campaign in Iraq since 1990.

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Military Connection: Robert Gates on Obama’s Plan: By Debbie Gregory

Military Connection: Airstrikes in Syria: By Debbie Gregory

September 25, 2014/in Archived Blogs

This week, a message was sent to the Islamic State (I.S.) that the world is rallying against them. A U.S. led coalition conducted a series of airstrikes against the terrorist group that has seized large parcels of land in Iraq and Syria.

There were two major differences in this latest attack against the I.S. One was that this series of attacks happened in Syria. The second was that multiple Arab nations took part in the airstrikes, solidifying that it isn’t just the U.S. opposing the Islamic State.

The airstrikes began in the early hours of September 23, 2014. Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates joined the U.S. in sending units to carry out attacks on I.S. forces, with Qatar joining them in a non-combatant support role.

This multinational coalition is important for a number of reasons. During the earlier campaigns in the region, it seemed as though it was the Western powers against the Middle East, as U.S. and British forces took on the bulk of the workload. This gave the impression that other world leaders within the Middle East were against, or at least not on board with, the conflicts. Now, with other Arab nations joining in against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, it sends a resounding message that the threat the I.S. poses is real. So is the need to destroy them, regardless of cultural, religious, language and ideological barriers.

President Obama met with the leaders from the five Arab nations that make up the coalition. Each one made it clear that they understood that the mission to destroy the I.S. could be a long and difficult one. But every member confirmed that they would see the mission through to completion.

The airstrikes happened in three waves, all targeting combatants, vehicles, and training camps. The first wave focused on the Khorasan Group, a separate terrorist organization that is just as dangerous, if not more dangerous to Americans, because of its stated mission to carry out operations in the U.S. The wave hit several Khorasan Group targets in Eastern and Northern Syria.

The second wave hit I.S. targets, including its headquarters. The third wave concentrated on I.S. positions in Eastern and Northern Syria.

Let us send best wishes and support to our American pilots who are carrying out the airstrikes in Iraq and Syria. While we don’t have personnel on the ground, we certainly have Americans in harm’s way. Let us keep them and their families in our hearts and minds.

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Military Connection: Airstrikes in Syria: By Debbie Gregory

Military Connection: Air Strikes Update: By Debbie Gregory

August 29, 2014/in Military, Military Spouse, Military Veteran

With the American air support, Iraq security forces and Kurdish forces have been able to stop the sweeping advances of Islamic State expansion, and retake the Mosul Dam. The U.S. military has been hammering ISIL forces with air strikes.

Manned U.S. aircraft and drones have wreaked havoc on the insurgents. Included in the air strikes are Navy Carrier Air Wing 8’s F/A 18s, EA-6B Prowlers, and E-2C Hawkeyes from the American aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77).

The carrier, her crew and the air wing embarked onboard were tasked to the Northern Arabian Gulf in support of air strikes on ISIL forces for as long as necessary.

There have been no reported U.S. casualties from the air strikes. American pilots and unmanned aircraft have not met with any surface-to-air resistance, only small arms fire. Meanwhile, Islamic State insurgents have suffered great losses.

The initial success of the airstrikes and the enormity of ISIL’s expansion has left Washington contemplating carrying out airstrikes against Islamic State units in Syria. While Iraq and Syria claim to maintain their sovereign borders, the actuality is that the Islamic state has claimed territory from both countries. While ISIL still occupies the territories in both countries that it currently controls, those borders are non-existent.

Many believe that the Islamic State cannot be defeated unless the force is destroyed both in Iraq and in Syria. There is also the belief that Iraq and Kurdish forces may not be able to achieve this task without significantly more aide and involvement from the U.S. and its allies.

So far, Washington has not ordered, authorized or asked for anything beyond the airstrikes and aid that they are currently providing.

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Military Connection: Air Strikes Update: By Debbie Gregory

Military Connection: Expanding Actions Against ISIL: By Debbie Gregory

August 27, 2014/in Archived Blogs

The White House is contemplating pursuing authorization from Congress to carry out military action against the Islamic State under a variation of a counterterrorism strategy announced last year.

Permission from Congress could provide domestic legal justification for the unlimited use of force against Islamic State insurgents across Iraq and Syria. The last time that Congress formally mandated such action was against Saddam Hussein and Iraq in 2002.

This would be one of several options currently being discussed as the Obama administration decides how to defeat the Islamic State, which controls a wide swath of territory in both Iraq and Syria.

U.S. military alternatives include temporary authority under the War Powers Resolution, which grants the president constitutional authority for emergency action to protect U.S. citizens. The administration is also in discussion with Congress concerning a more unrestricted authorization to openly combat the Islamic State.

The airstrikes in Iraq ordered by President Obama under the War Powers Resolution are only good for 60 days, and will expire in early October, unless further action is approved by Congress.

It is unclear whether or not Congress will approve further military actions after October, and if they do, to what capacity. It is also not clear if Congress would approve air strikes or other military actions into Syria.

The recent beheading of American journalist James Foley by members of the Islamic State has many Americans, especially Veterans, up in arms. Americans, outraged at Foley’s execution, echo the words of Deputy National Security Adviser Benjamin Rhodes:

“If you come after Americans, we are going to come after you. We’re not going to be restricted by borders,” Rhodes stated on August 22^nd.

Foley was kidnapped and held by a guerrilla group that later joined up with the Islamic State in territory that ISIL had seized from Syria.

The killing of Foley might sway some lawmakers to vote in favor of immediate use of airstrikes and other military actions in Syria, if necessary to protect U.S. citizens.

Contingency plans for airstrikes in Syria have been prepared for presidential review, in case the president should ask for them. The intelligence community has also generated a list of high-value targets among individual Islamic State leaders, as it did with al-Qaeda. So far, the president has not formally requested expanded military action.

The president has publicly ruled out sending U.S. ground forces into Iraq or Syria, and has resisted any direct U.S. military action in Syria.

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