The top commander in the war against the Islamic State said on Thursday that its ability to strike targets in capitals in Europe, Asia and the Middle East this week does not mean the terror army is growing stronger.
Instead, said Army Gen. Lloyd Austin, who heads U.S. Central Command, the suicide bomber attacks in Baghdad, Iraq, Jakarta, Indonesia, and Ankara, Turkey, mean ISIL is desperate to show “an image invincibility.”
“We can expect to see more of this type of activity in part because ISIL wants to draw attention away from the growing number of setbacks that he is experiencing,” Gen. Austin said. “However it is important to understand these terrorists acts don’t necessary mean that ISIL is getting stronger. ISIL by it’s nature is a terrorist organization. And by conducting these attacks he’s attempting to produce an image of invincibility in the wake of setbacks.”
The Islamic State, based in Raqqa, Syria, and Mosul, Iraq, is also known as ISIL and ISIS.
“The fight against ISIL is far from over,” Gen. Austin said. “As I tell my troops often we’re go to keep our dukes up.”
Gen. Austin, who is retiring, appeared at a high-command press conference at McDill Air Force Base, his headquarters in Tampa, Fla. On the stage was Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, Gen. Joseph Dunford, Joint Chiefs chairman, and Army Gen. Joseph L. Votel. He is relinquishing command of U.S. Special Operations Command to succeed Gen. Austin in a lateral shift that shows how important commandos are to killing a violent irregular force such as ISIL.
ISIL showed this week that, like in the Paris attacks that killed 130, it can project deadly force from its Syria-Iraq territory. All told, 40 innocents were killed in three cities.
Still, Gen. Austin portrayed the group as on the defensive and unable to mount much in the way of counter attacks.
“We’ve been able to slow down the flow of terrorists fighters coming into the theater,” he said.
Mr. Carter on Wednesday visited Fort Campbell, Ky., to speak to 101st Airborne Division troops headed to Iraq to train and advise indigenous forces who will be called upon later this year to invade and retake Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city. Mosul is ISIL’s showcase, demonstrating, it says, it can operate a large city amid a declared Islamic “caliphate.”
He announced two new developments: a small number of American special operations troops are now in Syria, marrying up with local Arab and Kurdish forces who are trying to isolate Raqqa and point out targets for coalition air strikes. Mr. Carter also said an expeditionary targeting force to kill ISIL leaders is now active in Iraq.
On Thursday, he said ISIL’s recent attacks on civilian targets is a stark reminder why its Syria-Iraq hubs must be destroyed.
“The metastasis of ISIL internationally is a grave concern,” he said. “We’re going to be doing more.”
• Rowan Scarborough can be reached at rscarborough@washingtontimes.com.
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