WSJ: Air Force General Defends U.S. Bombing Campaign in Iraq, Syria
Lt. Gen. John Hesterman says current approach has killed 1,000 Islamic State fighters a month
WASHINGTON—The top U.S. general overseeing the air war against Islamic State forces in the Middle East defended Washington’s strategy on Friday and said bombing runs have been key to every major battlefield victory in Iraq.
Lt. Gen. John Hesterman, commander of the Air Force at U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. forces in the Middle East, dismissed criticism of the air war as uninformed.
“Our coalition team is having a profound effect on the enemy,” he said in a telephone conference call from Doha, Qatar, with Pentagon reporters.
Faced with renewed calls from Republican lawmakers and even some pilots taking part in bombing runs for a more aggressive airstrike campaign, Gen. Hesterman said the current approach has killed 1,000 Islamic State fighters a month.
WNU Editor: I have trouble understanding how Lt. Gen. John Hesterman got his 1,000 ISIS fighters are killed every-month numbers .... especially since there are no ground forces in Iraq and Syria to assess airstrike damage. Nancy A. Youssef at the Daily beast is correct when she says .... Team Obama’s B.S. ISIS Body Count.
More News On Lt. Gen. John Hesterman's Defending The U.S. Bombing Campaign Against The Islamic State
General: Criticism of Air War Against IS Based on Fiction -- AP
Restrictive rules of engagement in Islamic State fight necessary, U.S. air commander says -- Washington Times
US nearly fired on friendly Iraqi forces 100 times -- Stars and Stripes
Commander defends ISIS air war's effectiveness -- Military Times
US Air Commander: Coalition Airstrikes in Iraq Challenging, but Having 'Profound Effect' -- VOA
U.S. Military Counters Criticism That Airstrikes Aren't Stopping Islamic State -- Radio Free Europe
