The United States Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter has said the American-led coalition will hit Islamic State (ISIS) in its two most significant city strongholds: Iraq's Mosul and the Syrian city of Raqqa.
In a speech given on Wednesday to U.S. soldiers of the 101st airborne division, who are to be redeployed to Iraq, Carter said he has "big arrows" pointing at both those cities which he contends are ISIS's "center of gravity."
"We will begin by collapsing ISIL's control over both of these cities and then engage in elimination operations through other territories ISIL holds in Iraq and Syria," the defense secretary said.
"I don't need to tell you how complex a city like Mosul can be, and I'm not going to tell you that it's your job to keep everyone working together when the fighting is done," he added, implying the administration is solely interested in an ad-hoc counter-terrorism effort.
Carter also hinted that there would be increased targeted strikes against ISIS in the coming year complimented by Special Forces raids against key targets relating to the group. If things go according to his goal the incumbent Obama administration may afflict a mortal blow against that group before it leaves office in January 2017.
In a speech given on Wednesday to U.S. soldiers of the 101st airborne division, who are to be redeployed to Iraq, Carter said he has "big arrows" pointing at both those cities which he contends are ISIS's "center of gravity."
"We will begin by collapsing ISIL's control over both of these cities and then engage in elimination operations through other territories ISIL holds in Iraq and Syria," the defense secretary said.
"I don't need to tell you how complex a city like Mosul can be, and I'm not going to tell you that it's your job to keep everyone working together when the fighting is done," he added, implying the administration is solely interested in an ad-hoc counter-terrorism effort.
Carter also hinted that there would be increased targeted strikes against ISIS in the coming year complimented by Special Forces raids against key targets relating to the group. If things go according to his goal the incumbent Obama administration may afflict a mortal blow against that group before it leaves office in January 2017.
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