Islamic State fighters paraded along the streets of Raqqa, Syria, in 2014. Credit Reuters
New York Times: U.S. Caution in Strikes Gives ISIS an Edge, Many Iraqis Say
WASHINGTON — American intelligence analysts have identified seven buildings in downtown Raqqa in eastern Syria as the main headquarters of the Islamic State. But the buildings have gone untouched during the 10-month allied air campaign.
And just last week, convoys of heavily armed Islamic State fighters paraded triumphantly through the streets of the provincial capital Ramadi in western Iraq after forcing Iraqi troops to flee. They rolled on unscathed by coalition fighter-bombers.
American and allied warplanes are equipped with the most precise aerial arsenal ever fielded. But American officials say they are not striking significant, and obvious, Islamic State targets out of fear that the attacks will accidentally kill civilians. Killing such innocents could hand the militants a major propaganda coup and alienate the local Sunni tribesmen, whose support is critical to ousting the militants, and Sunni Arab countries that are part of the fragile American-led coalition.
WNU Editor: If you want to destroy/defeat your enemy .... this is not how you do it. But this is the problem with current U.S. war policy .... the political bosses do not want to get their hands dirty .... hence rules of engagement that the enemy quickly finds out and just as quickly exploits.