Special to WorldTribune.com

WASHINGTON — Congress has become highly skeptical of any U.S.-backed solution to stabilize Iraq and Syria.

A leading House member has dismissed a plan by President Barack Obama to fight Islamic State of Iraq and Levant. House Armed Services Committee chairman Rep. Mac Thornberry disputed Obama’s assertions of gains in the U.S.-led war against ISIL.

“On the Syria side they [ISIL] have grown in territory, so I think factually what the president said is simply not true,” Thornberry, a Republican from Texas, said. “The area that they control, what they have influenced, has actually grown, and there is not a lot of prospect, in the near-term, of pushing that back.”

In a briefing to defense reporters on Jan. 22, Thornberry said U.S.-led air strikes has stopped ISIL’s advance in Iraq. But the chairman, who has traveled to the Middle East to assess the war, dismissed the likelihood of a solution for Syria.

“I think Syria is just a horrible mess that prevents us from having a 1-2-3 sort of solution,” Thornberry said.

The United States has reported more than 2,000 air strikes against ISIL since August 2014. For his part, Obama said the U.S.-led coalition, which included Arab states, was destroying ISIL.

Thornberry, who reflected the views of many House leaders, said the U.S. military effort has been hampered by Obama’s restrictions. The House chairman said he was dismayed by reports that the White House was ready to accept the continued rule of President Bashar Assad.

“Who is gonna risk their lives to be trained guided and work with us if you can’t be reasonably confident that we’re a reliable entity to work with?” Thornberry asked.

Thornberry said the most Washington could hope for in Syria was to “temporarily” contain ISIL. He said Obama should consider deploying U.S. forces in Syria to enhance air strikes.

“Even if you eliminated all such constraints and were looking only at military effectiveness, this is still a bloody mess without a clear, easy answer,” Thornberry said. “So we shouldn’t pretend that we got them on the run, things are going great.”

  Congressman challenges Obama’s claim of success against ISIL, WorldTribune.com