Obama: US Intelligence underestimated IS in Syria

September 28, 2014

US –led coalition has started its operation on Syrian soils in the northern city of Ayn al-Arab which is the latest area where the forces have conducted air-strikes. President Obama in a recent interview to media told that the US intelligence had miscalculated the extent and reach of IS in Syria. Also, US had placed high stakes and hopes on the Iraqi army and its ability to tackle the militants. He also, referred to the time when US led forces had dismantled Al-Qaeda from Iraq with the help of local tribesmen. However, he acknowledged that the conditions in Syria are different from the ones in Iraq as it has been involved in an intense civil war which had disrupted the law and order situation completely. Such emptiness of authority had provided conducive conditions for ISIS to gain ground and reconstitute themselves. IS has been able to root itself in Syria due to the chaos and unrest.
Lack of order and proper governance structures allowed jihadists to make Syria ground zero for their activities. Obama administration which till a few days back was widely criticised for having no strategy to combat IS, is finely moving swiftly towards having a full-scale war in the territory. The US which had started its campaign against the group after the barbaric beheading of two US journalists, moved from Iraq to Syria with the help of a huge coalition.
Obama again reiterated the military goal against Islamic State: “We just have to push them back, and shrink their space, and go after their command and control, and their capacity, and their weapons, and their fueling, and cut off their financing, and work to eliminate the flow of foreign fighters.”

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