A former deputy director of the CIA said Wednesday that it will take 100,000 ground troops to essentially defeat the Islamic State group.
Michael Morell told CBS news: “Unless the coalition is willing to put more ground troops into Iraq and possibly into Syria, there is very little we can do to respond,” to the Sunni radical terror organization.
Mr. Morell’s comments came just one day after the Islamic State group released a video of its members burning Jordanian pilot Lt. Muath Al-Kaseasbeh alive.
“That will simply does not exist here and it doesn’t exist in the other coalition countries — the other coalition countries being western Europe, is what I’m primarily talking about,” Mr. Morell said.
The former deputy director said there are two options for the Obama administration and its allies: They can go after the Islamic State group’s small circle of leadership, or ground troops can be sent in.
“There is not a stomach for that,” Mr. Morell said regarding the deployment of ground troops.
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• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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