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Derechos | Equipo Nizkor
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| Information | | |
Derechos | Equipo Nizkor
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25Aug14
U.S. prepares military options in Syria against Islamic State
The United States is preparing military options to pressure the Islamic State in Syria, the U.S. military said on Monday, but officials cautioned that no decision had been made to expand U.S. action beyond the limited air strikes underway in Iraq.
President Barack Obama has so far sought a limited military campaign in Iraq focused on protecting American diplomats and civilians under direct threat. Still, officials have not ruled out escalating military action against the Islamic State, which has increased its overt threats against the United States.
General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said last week that the Islamic State would need to eventually be addressed on "both sides of what is essentially at this point a non-existent border" between Syria and Iraq.
Dempsey's spokesman confirmed on Monday that options against Islamic State were under review and stressed the need to form "a coalition of capable regional and European partners."
"With Central Command, (Dempsey) is preparing options to address ISIS both in Iraq and Syria with a variety of military tools including airstrikes," Colonel Ed Thomas said.
"The bottom line is that our forces are well postured to partner with regional allies against ISIS."
Two other U.S. officials also acknowledged the preparation of strike options against the Islamic State in Syria, with one saying planning had been underway for weeks.
Still, neither official suggested U.S. military action there was imminent.
"We're just not there yet," said a senior U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of the anonymity.
Republicans on Sunday called for more aggressive U.S. action to defeat Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq, accusing President Barack Obama of policies that have failed to thwart potential new threats on U.S. soil.
Dempsey, Thomas said, believed that the Islamic State needed to be pressured in Iraq and Syria and that defeating the group would require a sustained effort over an extended period of time "and much more than military action."
Although the U.S. air campaign launched this month has caused some setbacks for Islamic State, they do not address the deeper problem of sectarian warfare which the group has fueled with its attacks on Shi'ites.
In retaliation for the airstrikes, Islamic State released a video showing one of its black-clad fighters beheading U.S. journalist James Foley.
[Source: Reuters, Washington, 25Aug14]
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