Top generals continue to talk down the idea of US wars ending or missions being accomplished. CEMTCOM commander Gen. Frank McKenzie plays up the ISIS threat, saying they are a long-term threat and the US may never really defeat them.
In Iraq and Syria, McKenzie suggested the problem would only be resolved when the world solves the problems of reconciliation and the internally displaced. He said there was no military fix to that, and warned that it was possible no one was ever really going to defeat ISIS.
In practice, ISIS barely exists in Iraq. Iraqi forces are comfortable sorting that out themselves, and are saying they need to plan for a post-US life, since the US isn’t going to engage in military operations after the announced drawdown. ISIS is more operational in Syria, but mostly in government controlled areas, making it Syria’s problem, not the US’s.
Playing up the ISIS threat is a way to undercut those drawdowns, and to warn military opposition against further moves. This is a consistent military position, opposing the ending of protracted wars.
There are always excuses to keep the wars going, and enemies that will never be defeated. Even when there aren’t, CENTCOM will come up with something.
Is that an after thought ? Al Qaeda should not have been funded recruited and trained in the first place, first it was to kill Russians (yeh the bounties – Stinger missiles) and then any others who refuse to submit to the American will.
Are they a threat to the USA? Not really, no. Is the USA’s military presence in Syria and Iraq helping ISIS recruit new members? Undoubtedly.
The reality is it was the US Military and CIA that gave us ISIS in the first place, the US funded al Nusra Front a group that came out of Iraq, we knew them there as Al Qaeda in Iraq, the US funded and trained Al Nusra Front to the tune of 40 thousand terrorists, and the group split, with two thirds of them becoming ISIS. No Al Qaeda but for the US training them, no Isis but for the US training them, and no Hamas but for Mossad training and funding them! anyone see a pattern here!
Isn’t it too bad that Trump had Iranian General Qassem Soleimani assassinated with a drone? He was very effective at routing ISIS in Syria.