MOSCOW, September 27 (RIA Novosti) - Ground force is crucial in fighting the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group in Iraq and Syria, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin Dempsey has told the press.
“If you’re asking me would I would provide my best military advice at all times, the answer is absolutely. If you're suggesting that I might, at some point, recommend that we need a large ground force to counter ISIL, the answer to that is also absolutely,” Dempsey said Friday as quoted in the Department of Defense's press release.
The general, however, stressed that the ground force does not necessarily need to be a US one. Dempsey has supposed that Iraqi and Kurdish forces as well as Syrian “moderates” could handle such mission, underscoring that the consolidation of forces is largely a responsibility of the local governments.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff head also noted that training and equipping of “moderate opposition” in Syria by the United States is ongoing.
“We’ve had estimates anywhere from 12,000 to 15,000 is what we believe they would need to recapture lost territory in eastern Syria,” he said, adding that their training is going to take some time.
The IS has proclaimed a caliphate on the controlled areas in Iraq and Syria, making Washington resort to airstrikes in Iraq back in August. In the beginning of the week, the United States and its Arab allies started carrying out airstrikes against the IS and other insurgents on the Syrian territory – without Damascus’ permission. US President Barack Obama has vowed he would not commit US troops to fight a ground war in Iraq.
