Sen. John McCain called for more ground troops to battle Islamic State terrorists, saying the bombing campaign hasn’t worked.
“For months we’ve been bombing (Syrian border town) Kobane, and we still haven’t driven [them] out,” Mr. McCain told reporters in Jerusalem, Agence France-Presse reported.
“Since the air campaign started … [the Islamic State] has increased their size and areas of control,” Mr. McCain said, AFP reported. “The reality is, we need more boots on the ground. … We need intelligence, we need special forces and we can’t treat Iraq and Syria as different battlegrounds because it’s the same enemy.”
Mr. McCain also called for a no-fly zone above the Islamic State-controlled areas.
“We are going to have to have an aircraft exclusionary zone which provides a buffer in order for us to not only train and equip [rebels] but [also] to take care of refugees,” he said, AFP reported.
Mr. McCain is among a group of senators on a tour of the Middle East, which includes stops in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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