08-21-2014, 11:01 PM
WHAT NEXT?
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff -- highlights of today's press conference
"They are beyond just a terrorist group. They marry ideology, a sophistication of strategic and tactical military prowess," (US Secretary of Defense) Chuck Hagel said in a press conference held tonight.
"...This is beyond anything we have seen, and we must prepare for everything. And the only way you do that is that you take a cold, steely hard look at it and get ready."
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stopped short of calling for U.S. military action in eastern Syria, an ISIS stronghold.
"Can they be defeated without addressing that part of the organization that resides in Syria? The answer is no," Dempsey said during the briefing at the Pentagon. Repeatedly pushed by reporters about whether that meant operations against ISIS in Syria, Hagel said, "We're looking at all options." While it's unclear what those options may be, Hagel said the United States is "very clear-eyed" about ISIS.
The threat (made against the US by IS in the Foley video) has done little to curb U.S. military operations in Iraq. Thursday, American warplanes pounded ISIS targets near Mosul Dam, where Iraqi forces have been battling to retake control of the area.
Mosul Dam is the largest in the country, and Iraqi and U.S. officials fear that a breach in the dam would threaten the lives of millions of Iraqis who live downstream in Mosul and Baghdad.
Thursday, Kurdistan's regional government praised the assistance provided by the United States and the international community."We are grateful to the men and women of the American armed forces who have carried out these decisive attacks against the terrorist forces of ISIS," said a statement from the regional government.
Also Thursday, a third French aid flight headed to Irbil, according to the French foreign ministry. The aid includes 21 metric tons of food, tents, medical supplies and other basic necessities. France has delivered 58 metric tons of aid since it started its humanitarian flights on August 15, the ministry said.
http://edition.cnn.com/2014/08/21/world/...?hpt=hp_t1
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff -- highlights of today's press conference
"They are beyond just a terrorist group. They marry ideology, a sophistication of strategic and tactical military prowess," (US Secretary of Defense) Chuck Hagel said in a press conference held tonight.
"...This is beyond anything we have seen, and we must prepare for everything. And the only way you do that is that you take a cold, steely hard look at it and get ready."
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stopped short of calling for U.S. military action in eastern Syria, an ISIS stronghold.
"Can they be defeated without addressing that part of the organization that resides in Syria? The answer is no," Dempsey said during the briefing at the Pentagon. Repeatedly pushed by reporters about whether that meant operations against ISIS in Syria, Hagel said, "We're looking at all options." While it's unclear what those options may be, Hagel said the United States is "very clear-eyed" about ISIS.
The threat (made against the US by IS in the Foley video) has done little to curb U.S. military operations in Iraq. Thursday, American warplanes pounded ISIS targets near Mosul Dam, where Iraqi forces have been battling to retake control of the area.
Mosul Dam is the largest in the country, and Iraqi and U.S. officials fear that a breach in the dam would threaten the lives of millions of Iraqis who live downstream in Mosul and Baghdad.
Thursday, Kurdistan's regional government praised the assistance provided by the United States and the international community."We are grateful to the men and women of the American armed forces who have carried out these decisive attacks against the terrorist forces of ISIS," said a statement from the regional government.
Also Thursday, a third French aid flight headed to Irbil, according to the French foreign ministry. The aid includes 21 metric tons of food, tents, medical supplies and other basic necessities. France has delivered 58 metric tons of aid since it started its humanitarian flights on August 15, the ministry said.
http://edition.cnn.com/2014/08/21/world/...?hpt=hp_t1