The defense officials said that, President Obama wants to step up the US military operation, against ISIS and he needs billions of dollars in additional war funding and thousands of new precision-guided bombs to do it.
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter announced the proposed Pentagon budget to be about $7.5 billion to take on the ISIS, in 2017, a more than 30 percent increase from the amount appropriated for this year.
At least $1.8 billion of the war kitty would go towards purchasing 45,000 smart bombs intended to hit terror group targets, across Syria and Iraq.
This is the latest sign of the U.S. military’s effort to accelerate the fight against ISIS. It also makes clear that the military campaign, now in its 18th month, will stretch far into the future, despite a string of recent successes by the American-led coalition.
Army Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland, the top U.S. general in Iraq, confidently said that, the recapture of Ramadi by Iraqi forces was a “turning point” in the campaign against ISIS, and that it was only “a matter of time” before coalition forces delivered a crippling blow to the ISIS.
Since August 2014, as per the Defense Department statistics, the Pentagon has conducted more than 9,000 airstrikes against the terror group. Up to December 31st, the U.S. warplanes have fired bombs and missiles worth $1.3 billion. Overall, coalition airstrikes have destroyed more than 20000 ISIS targets.
US officials are still confident that, ISIS can be defeated, with the support from both local fighters in Iraq and Syria and also from international allies.
But the analysts opine that, it may be difficult for the local forces, to maintain their momentum in the months ahead. Meanwhile, Pentagon officials continued to grumble, about America’s coalition partners, who they believe are backing the effort in name only.
To hedge its bets, the Pentagon has continued to expand its military presence on the ground. Carter announced in December that, 200 special operations forces would be deployed by the U.S. to Iraq, to aid with intelligence and apply greater pressure on ISIS.
The officials further said that, another 1800 American troops will be on the ground in Iraq by late spring to train and assist Iraqi forces.
MacFarland further hinted that, there may soon be more American boots on the ground. “Yes, there is a good potential that we will need additional capabilities, additional forces to provide those capabilities. We’re looking at the right mix,” he said.
By Phani Ch
