Posted on 05/29/2017 10:50:17 AM PDT by upchuck
Defense Secretary James Mattis said U.S. forces are using "annihilation tactics" in their fight against the Islamic State.
"We have already shifted from attrition tactics where we shove them from one position to another in Iraq and Syria to annihilation tactics where we surround them," Mattis said on CBS' ‘Face the Nation.' "Our intention is that the foreign fighters do not survive the fight to return home to north Africa, to Europe, to America, to Asia, to Africa, we are not going to allow them to do so. We are going to stop them there and take apart the caliphate."
When asked whether the faster pace might have been responsible for 100 civilian deaths after a U.S. bombing of Mosul, Mattis said, "The American people and the American military will never get used to civilian casualties."
But he added that the military found residue in the area that was not consistent with the U.S. bomb materials, leading officials to believe the Islamic State had created a munitions stockpile in a residential area.
Mattis believes the Islamic State has been greatly weakened but refused to put any timeline of the fight, only saying that it will be a long one. But he added the administration is keeping an eye to any successor groups.
"We have had success on the battlefield, we have freed millions of people from being under their control and not one inch of that ground that ISIS has lost has ISIS regained," Mattis said. "However, there are larger currents, there are larger confrontations in this part of the world and we cannot be blind to those."
Moving further east to a different theater, Mattis said that conflict with North Korea, "would be probably the worst kind of fighting in most people's lifetimes."
Mattis said because North Korea was a threat to so many of their neighbors, "it would be a catastrophic war if this turns into combat, if we are not able to resolve this situation through diplomatic means."
Mattis added North Korea can't be allowed to escalate tensions in the region with no consequence."[North Korea] is a direct threat to the United States. They have been very clear in their rhetoric. We don't have to wait until they have an intercontinental ballistic missile with a nuclear weapon it to say that [the threat] is manifested completely," he said.
How nice to have a MAN in charge who doesn't mind killing our enemies.
I’m getting light headed!
Elimination by extreme prejudice - take no prisoners.
Kind of hard to put cuffs on those fleeing from aerial bombardment anyway, without somebody on the ground. The Kurds just shoot known or suspected ISIS troops. Not quite the same as our rules of engagement.
Winning
Clearly the only effective strategy. Bo must be wetting himself. May Bo die with them.
One can’t help but wonder if there are US-supported rebels who are being annihilated along with their ISIS friends.
I would’t care if it was a woman if she had the same ideas.
Thatcher was very tough.
....guess Odungo’s ROE went out the window
on Jan 21st.
Probably the most under-reported (and effective) war in my ifetime. Mattis is one of a kind. I like his line that nothing keeps him awake at night...he keeps others awake at night.
I can’t remember the last time we had a real warrior in charge of the Defense Department.
Mattis obviously understands that you stop the enemy by killing him until you break his will to fight.
I love this guy.
BEST ELECTION EVER!
Except it isn’t going as stated - the US via SDF (Kurds) is negotiating with ISIS to relocate to southeastern Syria closer to Israel ... Russia and Turkey will take Northern Syria without ISIS and the US and its Allies will take the southern portion with ISIS.
Why is that idiot lib dunce on Fox?
I couldn’t believe Fox would actually hire her.
OTOH she is a token lib ditz to repub logic.
Bombs work better than pamphlets.
Best thing to have done would have been to drop this blonde bimbo (no offense to others) right in the middle of ISIS and let her start her jobs program with them.
I’m gonna say she would have lasted about 0.00003 seconds.....
Gotta love Gen Mattis. He keeps other people up at night.
I hope he fired all the Obama Lawyers polluting the battle field too.
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