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               Analysts: US Needs Better Strategy in Fighting IS

   by Heather Murdock

   As the United States escalates its fight against the self-proclaimed
   Islamic State, some observers say Washington is in a quandary: by
   arming its allies, it continues to arm its enemies. Analysts say for
   the U.S.-led coalition to win, it needs not just more force, but a
   smarter fight.

   In a rare victory, Iraqi soldiers display weapons and 24 blindfolded
   young men they say are captured fighters for the Islamic State.

   An Iraqi soldier declares the army to be on the offensive, while
   patting a detainee on the back for emphasis.

   ''The United States also declared itself on the offensive this week,
   pledging to send 450 more troops to train Iraqi forces. Officials say
   airstrikes have killed 10,000 Islamic State soldiers, but the group
   continues to grow. By some estimates the group now controls one-third
   of Iraq and half of Syria.

   Max Boot is a senior fellow on national security at the [1]Council on
   Foreign Relations, speaking on U.S. policy on the Islamic State.

   "The policy at the moment is to do as little as possible to make it
   appear that we are actually doing something without actually doing
   enough to achieve our objectives as laid out by President Obama, which
   is to 'degrade and to destroy' the Islamic State," said Boot.

   He said when President Obama took office, he promised the American
   public a withdrawal from Middle East wars and now lacks the political
   will to beat the Islamic State.

   The Islamic State has obtained U.S. weapons from Iraqi soldiers fleeing
   battles and through so-called "moderate" rebels armed by the U.S. in
   Syria. Boot said renewed American commitment to fighting the Islamic
   State, would also mean re-arming Iraqi soldiers.

   And this could continue to result in arming the enemy. "We can either
   stop sending weapons or we could do a better job of training the Iraqis
   so they could fight more effectively and not run away when confronted
   by an Islamic State attack. I would argue for the latter option," he
   said.

   Coalition forces, he added, must also focus on training Sunni soldiers
   to fight the Islamic State, rather than relying on Shiite forces that
   complicate the battle because of sectarian divides.

   Andreas Krieg of King's College in London said beyond better training,
   those Sunni fighters needed to be better motivated.

   For example, he said, Sunni tribal fighters in Anbar province, where
   the Islamic State holds towns and cities, could not be counted on to
   serve the interests of the Baghdad government, led by Shiite Prime
   Minister Haider al-Abadi.

   "This is a socio-political issue. Basically the Abadi government in
   Baghdad needs to make a solid and tangible promise to these tribes in
   Anbar province that they will get more autonomy in the future, and that
   if they fight for something, they're fighting for their own autonomy
   and not fighting for the government in Baghdad that they hate so much,"
   said Krieg.

   And, he said, the longer the coalition failed to beat the Islamic
   State, the stronger they became. A year ago, when the Islamic State
   shocked the world with its rapid land grabs, the group did not have the
   capacity to use all their weapons. Now, they have had a year to train
   and develop skills, and the coalition remains locked in a "vicious
   circle."
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   [2]http://www.voanews.com/content/analyst-us-needs-better-strategy-in-f
   ighting-is/2817202.html

References

   1. http://www.cfr.org/
   2. http://www.voanews.com/content/analyst-us-needs-better-strategy-in-fighting-is/2817202.html