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Iraq
Petraeus: Fighting ISIS In Iraq Is 'Doable' But Could Be A Nightmare In Syria
2014-09-13
[Daily Caller] Gen. David Petraeus, former U.S. force commander for Iraq and Afghanistan, said the maligned Iraqi security forces shouldn't be underestimated, despite their failure to prevent Islamic State extremists from capturing huge swaths of land.

The military failure was more a measure of "political meddling" by Baghdad, he said during a 9/11 memorial event in Denver. With a new government in place and with a strong guiding hand from U.S. military consultants, Petraeus said Iraq is well positioned to route ISIS forces from positions in Mosul and other areas they've overtaken.

He also said ISIS shouldn't be overestimated as to their abilities or the support they may have among local Sunni tribes. Al Qaeda in Iraq, the extremist group he helped defeat during the 2007 troop surge, had much deeper roots in the communities it controlled, he said, and presented a more daunting challenge than ISIS today.
Posted by:Besoeker

#7  Fighting ISIS is like "whack-a-mole". The seed is in Saudi Arabia. Nation building should use MacArthur as the template.
Posted by: irishrageboy   2014-09-13 17:07  

#6  Don't forget Air Marshal Sir Arthur 'Bomber' Harris, who, when asked about the destruction of Dresden, said he would do it again.
Posted by: borgboy   2014-09-13 16:32  

#5  Two words - Curtis LeMay

..after the rubble and glass, then maybe think about 'rebuild'.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2014-09-13 10:11  

#4  General, you have to stop thinking about nation-building simultaneous to winning a war. You have to beat them into submission first, then you get to do what you want afterwards. such as nation-building in Iraq or elsewhere or even having affairs.

If the goal is destroying the enemy, wars will be far shorter. You won't end up with interminable wars. WWII was far more complicated with far more moving parts--both in a conventional war sense as well as a clandestine war. The leadership of the country also has to get off the dime and define this effort against ISIS as a war. Allies will be more likely to line up. Even though ISIS/ISIL/IS is growing it is still only a force of about 32,000 by CIA estimates. Don't over-think this thing and make it overly complicated. That doesn't mean don't be smart about it.
Posted by: JohnQC   2014-09-13 07:44  

#3  They're not going to teach about you in military academies, general.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2014-09-13 03:57  

#2  the maligned Iraqi security forces shouldn't be underestimated

On the other hand, having folded like wet cardboard, they probably shouldn't be overestimated either.
Posted by: SteveS   2014-09-13 02:50  

#1  Describing himself as both nonpartisan and as a realist, Petraeus said he agreed with the general outlines of Obama's strategy for dealing with the terrorist threat in Iraq, calling the plan "doable."

Stopped short of saying he was...."ALL IN" for the Champ's plan did he ?

Posted by: Besoeker   2014-09-13 01:08  

00:01