Iraqi Christians: Obama’s Plans Against ISIS Will Not Be Enough

Because, unless Obama wishes to somehow redefine what “victory” and a “destroyed” Islamic State looks like, the only chance to truly succeed militarily against ISIS is with American combat troops on the ground. This echoes recommendations made by the President’s own military leaders, advice that the President himself ultimately overruled in favor of a more “politically-palatable light footprint approach.” Anything more would fly directly in the face of Barack “I-Won-A-Nobel-Peace-Prize” Obama’s non-declaration of war …

An Iraqi Christian prays at the Saint George church on July 1 in Erbil.

By Carlo Angerer, NBC News – “Christians who have fled the bloody campaign of ISIS in Iraq said U.S. plans to snuff out the Sunni militants will not be enough and that American combat troops are their only hope.

President Barack Obama pledged overnight to lead a ‘broad coalition’ of allies to tackle the threat of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham – but without American combat troops.

That disappointed many on the ground in northern Iraq, who told NBC News they want boots on the ground.

‘Only Americans can fix it,’ said one man taking shelter in an unfinished building in Erbil, a city of 1.5 million that has become a safe haven for religious minorities who have escaped and fled religious persecution at the hands of ISIS militants. ‘They should just send their soldiers into Iraq and Syria, not just fight from the air.’

He and others, who requested anonymity out of fear for their lives, said they do not see how local, Iraqi forces can defeat the extremists.

‘I was with the Iraqi army in Mosul for four years and I can tell you we did not do anything, just collected a salary,’ said the man, who fled from the Christian town of Qaraqosh. Qaraqosh, once a town of 40,000, has been terrorized by ISIS fighters amassing power and laying down harsh Sharia law.

‘We’re happy that the U.S. is conducting air strikes,’ another man said. ‘But it’s not enough. We need something to happen now.’

Obama has stressed that U.S. involvement will not lead to a repeat of the Iraq war – but some Christians who spoke to NBC News waxed nostalgic for those times.

‘When the Americans were in Mosul, we had no problems,’ another man said. ‘When they left, the troubles started.'” Source – NBC News.

James 1:8, “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

Report: Obama Overruled ‘Best Military Advice’ On Ground Troops To Fight ISIS – “The Washington Post reports today that when the president tasked military leaders with devising the best strategy to defeat ISIS, the Pentagon presented a plan that involved a limited number of combat “boots on the ground.” … ‘Such a mission was not the U.S. military’s preferred option. Responding to a White House request for options to confront the Islamic State, Gen. Lloyd Austin, the top commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East, said that his best military advice was to send a modest contingent of American troops, principally Special Operations forces… The recommendation, conveyed to the White House by Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was cast aside in favor of options that did not involve U.S. ground forces in a front-line role …” Read more.

Obama Repeats US Mission On Defeating Islamic State But Avoids The Word ‘War’ – “President Obama on Saturday restated his plan to destroy Islamic State but did not say the United States ‘is at war’ with the Middle East terror group, creating more uncertainty what exactly is the U.S. mission… The president’s language was almost identical to what he said Wednesday when he told the country in a prime-time TV address that the U.S. would launch direct air strikes in Iraq on the terror group and that he has OK’d such strikes in Syria… However, conflicting and at times seemingly evolving messages from top U.S. officials since the address has sparked concern about the president’s exact goals …” Read more.