Facing Skepticism, Military Leaders Say Islamic State Strategy is Making Headway by Missy Ryan, Washington Post
Top U.S. military leaders faced skepticism Thursday on Capitol Hill as they made the case that President Obama’s strategy in Iraq and Syria is beginning to show results against the Islamic State.
Appearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter and Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, described growing momentum against the group, which has lost ground to U.S.-backed fighters in Syria and Iraq in recent months. Carter and Dunford also outlined new military measures designed to make local forces more effective.
In the past two weeks, Obama has approved plans to allow American advisers to accompany local troops closer to the front lines in Iraq, and the use of attack helicopters and long-range artillery in a highly anticipated offensive to recapture the northern city of Mosul. In Syria, the president substantially increased the size of a Special Operations advisory force, which officials say in recent months has made headway in identifying and bringing together local forces that may eventually be able to press into the militant stronghold of Raqqa.
The U.S. strategy centers on equipping and advising partner forces in both countries while using American air and artillery support to help those forces advance into well-defended militant areas…