Subscribe 

Dempsey: Regional plan key to militants’ defeat in Iraq

U.S. airstrikes on Islamic militants in Iraq have blunted their momentum, but defeating them will require a broad regional approach that draws support from Iraq's neighbors and includes political and diplomatic efforts, the top U.S. military officer said. The long-term strategy for defeating the militants includes having the United States and its allies reach out […]

Jim Michaels writes for USA Today:

U.S. airstrikes on Islamic militants in Iraq have blunted their momentum, but defeating them will require a broad regional approach that draws support from Iraq's neighbors and includes political and diplomatic efforts, the top U.S. military officer said.

The long-term strategy for defeating the militants includes having the United States and its allies reach out to Iraq's neighbors, including Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Sunday. "This is not just about us," Dempsey said. Such a coalition could "squeeze ISIS from multiple directions in order to initially disrupt it and eventually defeat it," he said.