The United States has to "suck it up and do what's right" in fighting the terrorist group Islamic State (ISIS), says retired Lt. Col. Ralph Peters.
"These strikes last night were designed to limit terrorist casualties. These were not serious, manful strikes," Peters said Tuesday on Fox News Channel's
"Hannity."
Airstrikes led by the United States were launched late Monday night and hit buildings in Syria where ISIS has command-and-control centers. The Pentagon said it did not target people, but communications systems.
Peters pointed out that ISIS has no air defense systems and the same targets could have been hit at midday when they were filled with ISIS leaders and lower-level personnel.
"Instead we hit empty buildings at night," he said. "That is not the way to defeat terrorists who behead Americans."
Peters also said people need to stop worrying as much about civilian casualties.
"War is ugly, sloppy and messy, and sometimes there are civilian casualties – especially when your enemy uses human shields," he said. "If you're going to go after ISIS, you have to suck it up and do what's right."
He noted that ISIS is beheading people and lining them up in mass graves and shooting them.
"It's gaining them recruits as they slaughter civilians," he said.