L.A. Times: 'The closer we get, the more complex it gets.' White House struggles on strategy as Islamic State nears defeat in Iraq and Syria
With American-backed ground forces poised to recapture Mosul in Iraq and Raqqah in Syria, Islamic State’s de facto capitals, U.S. commanders are confident they soon will vanquish the militant group from its self-declared caliphate after three years of fighting.
But the White House has yet to define strategy for the next step in the struggle to restore stability in the region, including key decisions about safe zones, reconstruction, nascent governance, easing sectarian tensions and commitment of U.S. troops.
Nor has the Trump administration set policy for how it will confront forces from Iran and Russia, the two outside powers that arguably gained the most in the bitter conflict — and that now are hoping to collect the spoils and expand their influence.
Read more ....
Update: Trump's ISIS Strategy: The Syrian City Emerging as a Test of US Policy -- Newsweek
WNU Editor: Some are claiming that US Secretary of Defense Mattis' "annihilation strategy" is working better than expected as the collapse of ISIS continues to accelerates .... Trump’s war of annihilation strategy against Islamic State frees military to quickly seize territory (Washington Times). I personally think it is too early to make such a claim .... but it is true .... the collapse of the Islamic State ISIS has surprised a lot of military analysts .... and as a result it has sped up the debate and planning on what should be the policy and strategy to fill this void. As for what this may entail .... David Ignatius gives a possible glimpse of it in this post .... As the Islamic State falls in Syria, one city offers a preview of the country’s future (David Ignatius, Washington Post).
