Defense Secretary Jim Mattis says new goal is to kill militants in Syria and Iraq rather than force them to flee
The U.S. has switched to “annihilation tactics” against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, surrounding fighters instead of moving them from one spot to another, the defense secretary said Sunday.
“Our strategy right now is to accelerate the campaign against ISIS. It is a threat to all civilized nations. And the bottom line is we are going to move in an accelerated and reinforced manner, throw them on their back foot,”
.. Our intention is that the foreign fighters do not survive the fight to return home to North Africa, to Europe, to America, to Asia, to Africa,” Mr. Mattis said Sunday. “We’re not going to allow them to do so. We’re going to stop them there.”
.. those remaining behind Islamic State lines lack clean water, medicine and food, and have been herded by the militants into explosive-laden houses to be used as human shields.
Islamic State snipers have deliberately targeted children, said Stephen O’Brien, the top U.N. humanitarian affairs official.