Posted on 05/26/2015 5:42:55 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
WASHINGTON — American intelligence analysts have identified seven buildings in downtown Raqqa in eastern Syria as the main headquarters of the Islamic State. But the buildings have gone untouched during the 10-month allied air campaign.
And just last week, convoys of heavily armed Islamic State fighters paraded triumphantly through the streets of the provincial capital Ramadi in western Iraq after forcing Iraqi troops to flee. They rolled on unscathed by coalition fighter-bombers.
American and allied warplanes are equipped with the most precise aerial arsenal ever fielded. But American officials say they are not striking significant — and obvious — Islamic State targets out of fear that the attacks will accidentally kill civilians.
Killing such innocents could hand the militants a major propaganda coup and alienate both the local Sunni tribesmen, whose support is critical to ousting the militants, and Sunni Arab countries that are part of the American-led coalition.
But many Iraqi commanders, and even some American officers, argue that exercising such prudence is harming the coalition’s larger effort to destroy the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or Daesh, and that it illustrates the limitations of American air power in the Obama administration’s strategy.
A persistent complaint of Iraqi officials and security officers is that the United States has been too cautious in its air campaign, frequently allowing columns of Islamic State fighters essentially free movement on the battlefield.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Hurry, ISIS! You better move your headquarters before somebody finds out!
And Obama is doing such a bang up job protecting the Christians, Kurds and other minorities.
As many have said here over the years, fight like WWII, end like WWII. Fight like Vietnam, end like Vietnam.
Yeah! That’s it! To protect civilians! That’s the ticket!
You’ve go the right of it.
Coming soon to an American city near you.
oy....omg....oy!
Oh...
So that's the excuse, is it?
Never mind the hundreds of civilians being executed in the streets, we just can't have TV imagery of “Collateral Damage” under Obama!
O, come on.
Hold back from killing 20 at the expense of a million, love that logic!
Carpet bomb the crap out of them ... after a couple of weeks of relentless bombing, the survivors will crawl back under the rock from whence they came.
Nope. That isn’t going to work. Try again.
If we had an American president fighting a war on terror, this first sentence would be classified 'SECRET', but since we don't..
BUMP!
Anyone BELIEVE this..?
Come on, we aided ISIS, and if they can’t be dislodged, then it’s up to Jarrett’s beloved Iranian friends to get them out —better for Iran.
SUUUUURE we’re concerned about civvies, suuuuuure...
Barky holds back to protect the Caliphate.
Neutron bomb. Say everyone left.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.