Small Wars Journal

Mattis on Iraq: ‘You Just Don’t Take Anything Off the Table Up Front’

Sun, 09/21/2014 - 8:23am

Mattis on Iraq: ‘You Just Don’t Take Anything Off the Table Up Front’ by Dan Lamothe, Washington Post

The Obama administration’s new strategy for combating the Islamic State militant group terrorizing Iraq and Syria should not limit discussion of putting U.S. boots on the ground, and doesn’t go far enough overall, recently retired U.S. Gen. James Mattis told the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday.

“You just don’t take anything off the table up front, which it appears the administration has tried to do,” said Mattis, who served as the top U.S. general overseeing operations in the Middle East before leaving military service last year.

Mattis appeared before the House along with Ryan Crocker, who was previously posted as the top U.S. diplomat in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, and Dafna H. Rand, the deputy director of studies for the Center for a New American Security…

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