Using Special Forces Against Terrorism, Trump Seeks to Avoid Big Ground Wars

[rangerrebew]

Using Special Forces Against Terrorism, Trump Seeks to Avoid Big Ground Wars

By ERIC SCHMITTMARCH 19, 2017
 
Chadian soldiers carrying out a training operation led by a United States Special Forces trainer, right, in N’Djamena last week as part of an annual exercise. Credit Bryan Denton for The New York Times

MARA, Chad — From Yemen to Syria to here in Central Africa, the Trump administration is relying on Special Operations forces to intensify its promised fight against the Islamic State and other terrorist groups as senior officials embrace an Obama-era strategy to minimize the American military’s footprint overseas.

In Africa, President Trump is expected to soon approve a Pentagon proposal to remove constraints on Special Operations airstrikes and raids in parts of Somalia to target suspected militants with the Shabab, an extremist group linked to Al Qaeda. Critics say that the change — in one of the few rejections of President Barack Obama’s guidelines for the elite forces — would bypass rules that seek to prevent civilian deaths from drone attacks and commando operations.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/19/world/africa/trump-special-forces-navy-seals.html?_r=0

[geronl]

Like the way they avoided them in Vietnam?

[Cripplecreek]

A war doesn't need large numbers of troops on the ground to be disastrous.

We never had any number of troops on the ground in Libya and that's a real mess and now we have troops on the ground in Syria where we didn't want them.

[endicom]

Like the way they avoided them in Vietnam?

Eisenhower did for eight years and despite pressure to send the troops in.