Appallingly restrictive rules of engagement might be loosenedQuote:
The Defense Department may be moving to loosen the rules of engagement in the war against the Islamic State, following criticism that the military’s strict policies are undermining the 14-month air campaign over Iraq and Syria.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter opened the door to the changes in an interview on Thursday, even as President Obama defends the current military strategy in the wake of the Paris terror attacks.
“We're prepared to change the rules of engagement. We've changed tactics, as we just did in the case of the fuel trucks,” Carter said on MSNBC.
The fuel trucks Carter mentioned were targeted in an airstrike by U.S. Air Force A-10 and AC-130 gunships Monday. The strike destroyed 116 ISIS fuel trucks, part of the U.S.-led coalition’s new effort to destroy a key revenue source for the terror network.
Prior to that strike, U.S. military jets were not allowed to hit ISIS fuel trucks because killing the drivers was seen as killing civilians. For the past year, ISIS has earned $1 million a day from black-market oil sales, according to the Pentagon.
As Carter mentioned, the Monday strike showed the Defense Department already is adjusting its tactics to a degree, in a bid to address factors that ISIS is exploiting.
"ISIS uses our rules of engagement against us," one U.S. military official told Fox News.
ISIS has used civilians from the beginning of the air war as shields against U.S. airstrikes. ISIS leadership also is known to hide in plain view above a prison in the de-facto ISIS capital of Raqqa, not far from where “Jihadi John” was killed recently by a U.S. drone.
Gee, you think? Aversion to civilian casualties just turns civilians into human shields! imagine that!
The guy driving the truck may technically be a civilian, but he's still a valid military target because of
what he's doing. This would be like refusing to bomb a tank factory because the workers are "civilians".
This past week has seen some appalling admissions from the commander-in-chief. He is unwilling to order troops into battle because he might have to visit them in the hospital - as if he's the first politician ever to do so. He's unwilling to allow destruction of an enemy fuel convoy - a strategic asset - because of pedantic classifications of the drivers as "civilians".
This is a man whose job description includes "potentially order the end of modern civilization on 20 minutes' notice". And he's up against the likes of Vladimir Putin. We are a nation of spoiled brats with a teenage sense that nothing bad will ever happen to us, and we elected a spoiled brat to lead us. I've always been willing to cut Obama at least a little slack because of the melodramatic nature of some of the criticisms of him - until now. He just confirmed the most ridiculous right-wing hyperbole about him. This week is jaw-dropping in its implications.
Also, an apt quotation (sadly unsourced, but I still thought it accurate) since Russia has started employing strategic bombers to attack ISIS since their airliner went down:
Quote:
"After Paris, Obama sent a heavily qualified message of sympathy. Putin sent his heavy bombers. Who are you going to remember fondly?"