In an article written for Politico, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter announced on Friday that an additional 1,800 troops will be deployed to fight ISIS.
[revad1]
The additional troops with come from the 101st Airborne and will aid in ongoing American efforts alongside our British and French counterparts.
While Carter was less clear about exactly what the objective and course of action were, he was blunt about how the U.S. is approaching ISIS (aka ISIL):
“ISIL is a cancer that threatens to spread. And like all cancers, you can’t cure the disease just by cutting out the tumor. You have to eliminate it wherever it has spread, and stop it from coming back.”
Carter also made it clear that this problem isn’t contained to Iraq and Syria, and called out North Africa in particular.
With yet another increase in troop levels, many expect another increase in the coming months.
_______________
From Politico:
The storied 101st Airborne Division will soon deploy 1,800 troops to Iraq to aid in the fight against ISIL. They will head there with the support of the American people and armed with a clear campaign plan to help our allies deliver the barbaric organization a lasting defeat, which I personally shared with them last week at Fort Campbell. I also traveled to U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Florida, where I discussed the plan’s implementation with our top commanders. And this week I visited Paris, a city of determination and resolve, to discuss the plan with our allies.
In Paris, French Minister of Defense Jean-Yves Le Drian and I co-hosted our counterparts from Australia, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Britain. Those countries have been the biggest contributors to the counter-ISIL campaign. The military actions that the United States and our partners have taken in recent months have applied unprecedented pressure on ISIL in Iraq and Syria. In recent weeks, ISIL has lost territory, lost key leaders and even lost some of its cash and oil. We are gathering momentum on a number of fronts and are determined to put ISIL on an irreversible path to lasting defeat. Now is the time to do even more.
Do you think we will hit Iraq war troop level numbers against ISIS? Sound off in the comments below!
Read more: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/01/ash-carter-isil-fight-213554#ixzz3y0rCHGNg
