Air Force Commander: Syria Strike Needs Boots on the Ground

Kerry Admits: No Ally to Send Ground Troops

A top Air Force commander has been quoted in USA Today tonight saying that any expansion of the ISIS air war into Syria is going to require US special operations forces on the ground, inside Syria.

“It’s absolutely crucial that pilots are talking to an American on the ground” to verify what’s being targeted, the commander insisted. President Obama has repeatedly rejected the idea of boots on the ground, despite sending more and more troops to Iraq.

In last night’s speech, President Obama gave the impression that the “coalition” being assembled was going to be doing the heavy lifting on the ground. That’s not actually the case, however.

Secretary of State John Kerry, while trying to hype the “critical role” of the coalition members, today admitted that not a single member of this broad coalition was even talking about sending ground troops for the war.

Indeed, many of the nations appear to be little more than a cheering section for the US war, with even Turkey, touted as one of the most indispensable allies, won’t even let the US operate out of their airbases.

This means Obama’s new war is very much on America’s shoulders at this point, with Army commanders believing that the US is in a state of “perpetual conflict,” and that the ISIS war is going to be expanding more in the weeks and months to come.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.