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United States military commanders on Tuesday said that the US is planning to launch strikes on the Islamic State (IS) in its strongholds in Syria, and that it could send advisers into combat zones alongside Iraqi soldiers. They also warned of further escalation in their fight against the extremists, as two branches of a rival al-Qaeda group called for unity against the anti-extremist coalition the US is building.
The US has been on an aerial campaign against IS extremists in northern Iraq since August 8th, and has struck militants to the southwest of Baghdad in recent days, in a critical expansion of its campaign.
Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told American lawmakers that the US military is making plans to hit specific targets in Syria – the IS stronghold of Raqa has been suggested by experts as the target of their plans.
“This plan includes targeted actions against ISIL safe havens in Syria, including its command and control, logistics capabilities, and infrastructure”, Hagel told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
However, General Martin Dempsey, the top ranking US military officer, told the hearing that the bombing will not be of the same scale as the huge raids which accompanied the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
“This will not look like ‘shock and awe’ because that is not how ISIL is organized, but it will be persistent and sustainable”, Dempsey said.
He also admitted that the military advisers Obama has sent to Iraq could get involved in combat. Obama’s administration, however, has insisted that his orders against IS militants is not the beginning of a new US war in the Middle East, saying that there will not be a large-scale American invasion.
“To be clear, if we reach the point where I believe our advisers should accompany Iraqi troops on attacks against specific ISIL targets, I will recommend that to the president”, Dempsey said.