US General Martin Dempsey says raiding Syria is the key to halting ISIS - Polidicks

[QUOTE] WASHINGTON — The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria cannot be defeated unless the United States or its partners take on the Sunni militants in Syria, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Thursday. “This is an organization that has an apocalyptic end-of-days strategic vision that will eventually have to be defeated,” said the chairman, Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, in his most expansive public remarks on the crisis since American airstrikes began in Iraq. “Can they be defeated without addressing that part of the organization that resides in Syria? The answer is no.” But General Dempsey and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, who both spoke at a Pentagon news conference, gave no indication that President Obama was about to approve airstrikes in Syria. General Dempsey also was circumspect in describing the sort of broad effort that would be required to roll back ISIS in Syria and Iraq. “It requires a variety of instruments, only one small part of which is airstrikes,” he said. “I’m not predicting those will occur in Syria, at least not by the United States of America. But it requires the application of all of the tools of national power — diplomatic, economic, information, military.” [/QUOTE] [url]http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/22/world/middleeast/isis-believed-to-have-as-many-as-17000-fighters.html?_r=0[/url]

Too bad Russia has said nyet to any intervention in Syria, but it does make this even more of a quagmire since we are kinda supporting a side in Syria that is on the same part of the big circle of enemies as isis

The IS's power base is in Syria and it has been for a long time. The current violence in northern Iraq is a relatively recent expansion for them. They've been operating for multiple years in Syria already. Even if they were completely defeated in Iraq, that would do little to stop their reign in Syria.

Their capital is in Raqqah, Syria.

[QUOTE=Explosions;45764290]The IS's power base is in Syria and it has been for a long time. The current violence in northern Iraq is a relatively recent expansion for them. They've been operating for multiple years in Syria already. Even if they were completely defeated in Iraq, that would do little to stop their reign in Syria.[/QUOTE] The Islamic State already existed in Iraq for several years now but it didn't get any territorial gains until recently, then it became the ISIS, then the IS. However they own a pretty good chunk of Syria, second only to the Baathist government. [QUOTE=Sableye;45764271]Too bad Russia has said nyet to any intervention in Syria, but it does make this even more of a quagmire since we are kinda supporting a side in Syria that is on the same part of the big circle of enemies as isis[/QUOTE] It's not that much of complex situation. We support the rebels, and the IS is part of the rebel opposition, but at the same time they are fighting the FSA, Islamic Front, al-Nusra and al-Qaeda (most of the opposition) Their only friends are the North African & Arabian al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, and the insurgents in southern Philippines.

It's sad that the Syrian army and FSA are now fighting ISIS and each other, as horrible as Syria's government is, they're going to be the ones to curbstomp isis.

[QUOTE=SpaceGhost;45768619]It's sad that the Syrian army and FSA are now fighting ISIS and each other, as horrible as Syria's government is, they're going to be the ones to curbstomp isis.[/QUOTE] Except the Syrian Government have left ISIS mostly alone for a year. On purpose.

[QUOTE=Gentry;45768656]Except the Syrian Government have left ISIS mostly alone for a year. On purpose.[/QUOTE] No? The Syrian airforce are bombing isis forces and recaptured an oil field recently.

[QUOTE=Sableye;45764271]Too bad Russia has said nyet to any intervention in Syria, but it does make this even more of a quagmire since we are kinda supporting a side in Syria that is on the same part of the big circle of enemies as isis[/QUOTE] Because our idea of intervention was aid the FSA who would ultimately overthrow Assad, not kill Islamic Terrorists.

[QUOTE=SpaceGhost;45774390]No? The Syrian airforce are bombing isis forces and recaptured an oil field recently.[/QUOTE] "recently"

[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Civil_War#ISIS_offensive_and_continued_fighting_.28July_2014_-_ongoing.29[/url] yep, july 17th is recent,the syrian army recaptured an oil field from isis, and on july 25th isis overran a base, august 7th overran the 93rd brigade army base in raqqa. August 17th, the syrian airforce carried out airstrikes against islamic state positions. August 21st, the syrian army killed 140 isis fighters in an ambush in the ar-raqqa province. Totally not recent. Not at all.

If we ask Assad for permission to use his airspace to kill ISIS I'm pretty sure he's going to on live TV and say in clear English to fuck off... since literally less than a year ago we were threatening to bomb his forces in support of the rebels, who at the time were kinda buddy buddy with ISIS, before ISIS said fuck it and attacked them to.

[QUOTE=SpaceGhost;45782161][url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Civil_War#ISIS_offensive_and_continued_fighting_.28July_2014_-_ongoing.29[/url] yep, july 17th is recent,the syrian army recaptured an oil field from isis, and on july 25th isis overran a base, august 7th overran the 93rd brigade army base in raqqa. August 17th, the syrian airforce carried out airstrikes against islamic state positions. August 21st, the syrian army killed 140 isis fighters in an ambush in the ar-raqqa province. Totally not recent. Not at all.[/QUOTE] Thats kind of my point is it not? That Assad left ISIS mostly alone until he dealt with the FSA because it suited him to have the ISIS card?

I don't think Syrians in the east would be too pleased that the US is basically bolstering Assad. Not directly but it's obvious the results that would come. They are pretty screwed, bad vs bad take your pick.