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Hagel has immediately clarified that that was essentially CNN
misinformation, though, to be fair to CNN, probably a large part of it
is simply journalists there too thick to really get it:
Hagel Discounts Targeting Assad Now in Islamic State Fight
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-11-13/hagel-discounts-expanding-islamic-state-fight-to-include-assad.html
Highlights:
U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the Obama administration doesn’t
plan to extend the fight against Islamic State to Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad’s regime now, saying countering Islamic extremists in
Iraq is the priority.
“Because we do not have a partner government to work with, or regular
military partners as we do in Iraq, in the near term, our military aims
in Syria are limited to isolating and destroying ISIL’s safe havens,” he
said in testimony to the House Armed Services Committee. He referred to
the militant group by an acronym of one of its former names.
Hagel denied a CNN report yesterday that the administration is looking
at a shift in tactics to include new actions against the Syrian regime.
“There is no change, and there is no different direction,” Hagel said.
In his testimony, Hagel rebuffed calls by some U.S. lawmakers and
anti-Islamic State coalition partners such as Saudi Arabia and France to
move more quickly to arm moderate Syrian opposition fighters and take
other measures against the Assad regime, such as creating a no-fly zone
to protect civilians and rebels.
“Our strategy in Syria will demand time, patience, and perseverance to
deliver results,” Hagel said. “We cannot accomplish our objectives in
Syria all at once.”
Hagel said it will take at least eight to 12 months for U.S. training
and equipping of Syrian rebel fighters to “begin making a difference on
the ground,” first against Islamic militants and later against Assad’s
forces.
“We know the opposition will continue to face intense pressure in a
multi-front battle space, and we are considering options for how U.S.
and coalition forces can further support these forces once they are
trained and equipped,” he said. He urged Congress to approve the
administration’s request for $5.6 billion to fight the extremist
militants.
The longer-term U.S. goal is a negotiated end to the Assad regime, not a
military solution to Syria’s civil war, he said.
“You can change Assad today, and that’s not gonna change all the
dynamics quickly,” he said. “Who are you going to replace Assad with,
and what kind of army will take on ISIL?”
The threats Islamic State poses are “right now,” Hagel added. “That’s
why we’re dealing with that component first because we must.”
-----Original Message-----
From: Marv Gandall via Marxism
Below is a link to an interesting report from an unlikely source, CNN,
about the contradictions and strategic choices facing the US as it
scrambles to halt the rise of the Islamic State and other jihadist
forces threatening to destabilize Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, and other
friendly regimes in the Middle East.
The Obama administration has not had much success enlisting the Iraqi
government and armed forces as its main bulwark against ISIS, which is
forcing it to refocus on the Syrian theatre, where the left-wing Kurdish
militias in the north of the country have been the most effective ground
forces engaging the radical Islamists in combat.
The administration's central objective, however, is to draw the Turkish
army into the fight. This will necessarily require concessions to the
Erdogan government which wants to eliminate both the Assad regime and
the Kurdish independence movement.
According to CNN, the Obama administration is stepping up diplomatic
efforts with Russia, Iran, and the Gulf states to ease Assad from power,
and, more ominously, is considering giving the Turks a free hand to
invade the autonomous Kurdish regions inside Syria and establish a
protectorate in the guise of a "no-fly" zone.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/12/politics/obama-syria-strategy-review/index.html?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=%2ASituation%20Report&utm_campaign=Sit%20Rep%20November%2013%2C%202014
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