The Washington Times
By Rowan Scarborough
Updated: 9:06 p.m. on Sunday, July 2, 2017
President Trump’s war of annihilation against the Islamic State played out this spring in the Syrian town of Tabqa, a critical prize in the ongoing final march to Raqqa.
Defense Secretary James Mattis announced the annihilation strategy in mid-May, but before that commanders in Iraq and Syria got the go-ahead to fight ISIS, as the Pentagon calls the terrorist army, Trump-style.
Under President Obama, U.S. Army Special Forces assigned to Syrian Democratic Forces needed special approval from Washington for virtually all tactical moves amid the politically complex theater of Americans, Arabs, Kurds, Turks and Syrians.
In Tabqa, where the city, its dam and its airfield were the objectives, the Green Berets decided they needed an airlift. Suddenly minus red tape, Arabs, Kurds and Americans were helicoptering into battle, and they quickly seized territory.
(more)
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/jul/2/donald-trumps-isis-annihilation-strategy-quickly-l/?utm_source=onesignal&utm_campaign=pushnotify&utm_medium=push
