Small Wars Journal

U.S. Envoy: ‘A Long Way to Go’ in Fight Against the Islamic State

Wed, 02/10/2016 - 1:58pm

U.S. Envoy: ‘A Long Way to Go’ in Fight Against the Islamic State by Missy Ryan, Washington Post

Progress by U.S.-backed forces to isolate the Syrian city of Raqqa, the de-facto capital of the Islamic State, and intensified Turkish efforts to seal off its southern border are two examples of the modest advances the United States and its allies are making against the militant group, a senior U.S. official said Wednesday.

Brett McGurk, President Obama’s envoy to the coalition fighting the Islamic State, said the U.S.-led military campaign is starting to see results, a year and a half after militants seized the Iraqi city of Mosul.

But in testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, he said, “We have a long ways to go, given the enormous complexity of this challenge.”

McGurk said that U.S. and allied airstrikes had reduced Islamic State oil output by 30 percent. Still, in an illustration of the challenge that remains, he said the militants continue to control 80 percent of Syria’s energy resources, infrastructure and assets…

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