The defeat of ISIS in eastern Syria and western Iraq meant them losing control over effectively all of the cities. Both Iraqi and Syrian governments were eager to declare victory when this happened, but ISIS didn’t vanish, they just fled into the desert.
Those remnants are still around, making their presence felt across the desert region, and occasionally carrying out attacks against the various forces operating in the cities nearby. Last week, this meant a roadside bomb targeting a US convoy.
For the US, this clearly wasn’t the plan. Having lost their cities, ISIS was supposed to be demoralized, and collapse in short order. Instead, the group remains resilient. Worst of all, they’re not exactly in a place where they’re easy for US forces to target.
The desert is a big place, and locals say that clearing ISIS from the vast Deir Ezzor desert and the vast Anbar desert is virtually impossible. Secretary of Defense James Mattis warns that there is still “hard fighting” ahead.
It’s fighting the US isn’t necessarily ready for. The thousands of US troops sent after ISIS were prepared to take cities, but ISIS has remade itself since then back into an insurgency operating in remote areas. The ISIS leadership is spread out, meaning killing one won’t bring down the whole organization. This is something the US has struggled to cope with against other insurgencies, and looks to be a prolonged problem in the ISIS war, with Mattis reiterating that the US is committed to fighting for the long-term.
I expect that the only exit the Syrian troops will offer these guys involves a lot of virgins. So yeah they fight.
To bas the ISIS leaders can’t get their 72 virgins now too I suppose the same countries that armed them and flew them there will take them back home for some relaxation before their next Jihad
I don’t believe the US is even trying to eliminate Isis in Syria, rather the opposite. If Iraq attacks Isis from the air it’s because the US doesn’t want to.
Of course it has no intention of eliminating ISIS. With its cartoonish violence, ISIS is the perfect excuse to maintain an American occupation of East Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, ad infinitum.
Well, I’m only describing the current situation and only in Syria. I don’t think it can be generalized to Afghanistan or Iraq. There is some ambiguity about earlier US policy vs Isis in Syria. IS was considered an enemy when they had an actual state, but not before or after.
The desire that all foreign powers must leave (1), the desire for a powerful Arab association cannot and therefore will never die. Today the nations of Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan lay prone by the incessant wars which the West has insinuated on them. Sure, there were civil wars there but these might have been over long ago if the West had not intervened and “The West” includes Russia and us. The rebirth and rise of this ancient culture will eventually happen and hopefully in a much more benign and humane form than ISIL.
However, the anger of these nations will not go away soon.
As long as foreign, Christian troops are in these countries, as long as foreign governments try to install governments subservient to them the spirit of ISIS will remain alive. It is alarming that no government of the West, and that includes our own bombing-happy government seems to understand that.
And Israel will have to accept that future which must include a Palestine state. The more our President takes the side of Israel, which he carelessly does, the greater the pan-Arab anger at us will become. No, not by their compromised rulers but by their people.
You can stir a hornet’s nest only for so long. The young hornets are now being born.
And it must not be forgotten that several of our governments, going back at least to Reagan hence including Bush 1, Clinton, Bush 2, and Obama, are co-creators of this mess.
(1) of course with the exception of those whose power and influence is anchored on the interference of foreigners.
What a ridiculous and lame justification for the Pentagon to remain in Syria and continue their systematic program of permanently separating parents from their children.
How much do they pay you to write such drivel, and why are you a reporter for a site called anti-war ?
Is Jason Ditz that stupid. ISIS IS FULLY SUPPORTED, TRAINED AND DEFENDED BY ISRAEL, THE US AND SAUDI ARABIA. Where do you think ISIS gets its drones from its antitank weapons its unlimited cache of arms and ammo. C4, TOW missiles. The list goes on and on. The us military flies ISIS TOP LEADERS out when they were trapped.
The empty desert is the best place to attack then . Find those fast little Toyota pickups plow them sky high Send those ISIS guys to the virgins waiting for them as fast as you can . Everybody will be lot happier