The United States' — and the world's — piece meal approach to fighting the Islamic State (ISIS) does not bode well for a successful outcome, former House Intelligence Committee Chairman Peter Hoekstra said Friday on
Newsmax TV's "America's Forum."
"In the case of France we're talking about an airstrike," Hoekstra said, referring to France's Friday airstrike in northern Iraq. "In the case of the United States we're talking about 10 or 15 strikes per day. That's not the level of attacks that you need to be putting in place to really degrade and defeat the Islamic state. We've got to be much more aggressive, we've got to be arming a number of groups in the area if we think we're going to be successful. We're gradually moving in the right direction but that's a scary way to fight a war.
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Hoekstra and Middle East expert Walid Phares discussed the war strategy as well as
ISIS' plot in Australia to behead random citizens and videotape the violence.
The foiled plot is illustrative of a worldwide jihadi network, according to Phares, which consists of ISIS and al-Qaida supporters willing to act on behalf of the caliphate.
"ISIS is telling Australia . . . and telling other countries, including ours, if you go with those strikes or any other action, we're going to go with our strikes," Phares said. "This is their Air Force striking inside within our own homelands."
Hoekstra noted that these microterror tactics are similar to the Boston Marathon bombing, with perhaps a slight twist.
"We had the bombing in Boston and those types of things so it may be a slight change in tactics, but strategically, al-Qaida, their affiliates, ISIS, they want to attack the United States, they always have, and this is a result of the policies that have been in place where we are now providing radical jihadists with safe havens," said Hoekstra.
"Libya has become a safe haven for training preparation and exporting terrorists to Australia, to Europe, the United States, the same thing is now happening in Syria and we've talked about this before where the scary thing is that the number of westerners, the numbers of Europeans and Americans, those that hold passports from those countries who are now involved in the jihadi fight, who have easy access into Australia, into Europe, and into America."
While moderate Arab nations that share borders with Iraq and Syria, including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt and others, are also at war with jihadists from ISIS, al-Qaida and other radical groups, they are seeking an assurance from the U.S. that America is committed to the fight.
"Their issue in being part of this coalition is to trust the strategy of the United States," Phares said. "They want Washington to lead, they want Washington actually to tell them, we're going to go in a very intense campaign. What's happening right now is not an air campaign that receives a ground campaign. It's just like sniping from the air. Which probably is to prepare. So these Arab countries are waiting to see what is the actual plan on the ground, who will have to do what, and the leadership of Washington."
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