Special to WorldTribune.com

WASHINGTON — U.S.-led air strikes, regardless of frequency, remain insufficient in stopping Islamic State of Iraq and Levant, a report said.

The Lexington Institute asserted that the U.S.-led air campaign against ISIL failed to force a withdrawal from Iraq and Syria. In a report, Lexington said the air strikes must be combined with ground operations.

“However, this air-only strategy will never be decisive in the destruction of ISIS [ISIL],” Lexington said. “Any hope of fulfilling the stated end state of destroying ISIS requires a viable ground force.”

In a report dated Oct. 8, Lexington dismissed the claims of the administration of President Barack Obama regarding the war against ISIL. The administration has asserted that air strikes by Washington as well as Arab and NATO allies were disrupting ISIL operations as well as the capabilities of the movement.

“So, right now we may have gained a few partners in air operations and in offers to train the ISF, and this is very positive,” Lexington said.

“But, without a competent and compatible ground force, this ‘comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy’ is doomed to be neither comprehensive nor effective in counter-terrorism.”

[On Oct. 12, the U.S. military acknowledged ISIL efforts to capture Baghdad International Airport. U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, Gen. Martin Dempsey, also said ISIL could begin firing into neighborhoods of leading Iraqi cities, including Baghdad.]

Still, the report warned that any ground force would be ill-suited to dislodging ISIL. Lexington said such a force, equipped with real-time intelligence, must be capable of clearing villages controlled by ISIL without being seen as a threat to the Sunnis.

Lexington said not one of the 40 countries recruited in the war against ISIL expressed interest in participating in a ground offensive. The report also dismissed the prospect of a NATO or Arab force.

“All potential forces are ill-suited, in either competence or compatibility, to fill the critical requirement of a viable ground force,” the report said. “Regional Arab forces are not a viable option for ground operations in Iraq.”

The report said the Iraq Army, dominated by a Shi’ite government, was incapable of a counter-offensive against ISIL. Lexington said any improvement would require “many months” as well as a much larger U.S. advisory role.

“This is the reality in Iraq,” the report said. “In Syria, the task of finding a viable ground force really gets tough.”

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