The United States will change the rules of engagement for the objectives of the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. The new directives reflect a greater commitment to cut off supplies to terrorists and undermine their economic revenues. This is what General Joe Dunford, president of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reiterated in Congress.
"It is undeniable that the collateral damage increases with the value of the targets. Since the beginning of Operation Inherent Resolve in the August of 2014, the US-led Coalition has conducted 8200 air strikes against enemy targets in Syria and Iraq. An air campaign, object of criticism for the rules of engagement ".
Until yesterday, the United States could not hit high priority targets if a particular civil presence was presumed. This allowed the Islamic State to keep part of its supply and subsistence line intact. Before each raid, the US dropped leaflets on the sensitive areas with high density of civilians warning of the immediate attack.
"Until yesterday we avoided hitting innocents, like those truckers who had to live. But if you're driving a truck for a terrorist organization, that driver himself becomes a terrorist. I don't think we should kill innocent people, but the restrictions will be loosened ".
Waiting to know the new directives, from the Department of Defense transpires part of the new strategy: "the high and very high priority targets, can be attacked even in the presence of civilians". A sort of "tolerance" therefore, if the objective were to be considered "decisive" in the fight against the Islamic State.
"Our goal is to reduce losses among civilians, but in war there is no choice. Even if we had three times as many planes, we would get nothing without more flexible rules of engagement. Current rules of engagement imposed by politicians ".
Fuel convoys have recently been added to the list of targets because they are considered "important" in financing the Islamic State. "If you attack terrorists, you also hit civilians. There is no way to separate them from each other." The problem with the Gulf wars and in Kosovo is that ISIS terrorists mix with the civilian population.
There would then be a fundamental incapacity in Allied air strikes linked to the small use of special units in enemy territory. The Coalition is blind on the ground, has little ability to identify land-based targets, a task in other theaters assigned to the special departments.
