Rep. Duncan Hunter, an Iraq War veteran, says it's "too late" to recapture Iraqi cites such as Ramadi that are now under the control of the Islamic State (ISIS).

"It's too late for these cities. We're not going to have Americans going into cities again to free them, and I don't think the Iraqi militias can do it," Hunter said Tuesday during an interview on Fox News' "On the Record."

Story continues below video.



"This is going to be hard house-to-house fighting with suicide bombers. It's going to be a tough nut to crack," he explained.

The California Republican, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said the United States is going to need to be a lot more involved in the battle against ISIS beyond airstrikes if there is going to be any success.

"Somehow we need to get involved in this fight. No one else can get involved in this fight the way we can," Hunter said. "No one else knows these Sunni tribal leaders the way that we know the Sunni tribal leaders, because we have already done this, and we have won. We can show them how to win again."

ISIS on Sunday captured the Iraqi city of Ramadi, a shocking defeat considering that Ramadi is the capital of Anbar Province.

The Obama administration is now looking at where the effort against ISIS "needs to be upgraded," White House press secretary Josh Earnest said.

"They can't take Ramadi back. It took us — it was a hard nut to crack for us, both Fallujah and Ramadi. I don't think they can take them back. That's my call," Hunter said.

"I don't think they will be able to take any of these cities back once ISIS gets in them. Our airstrikes can't help them. You can't change the politics on the ground by airstrikes. You can't air-strike a city. This is all the Iraqis now," the California Republican added.

Related Stories:

• Gates Questions Obama's Iraq Strategy After Ramadi's Fall
• Ollie North: Obama Invites Iraq 'Bloodbath of Biblical Proportions'