‘Very Difficult to Roll ISIS Back’ Without Ground Troops

The U.S. has “made some steps to contain” ISIS/ISIL, but “we’re a long way…from being in a position to roll them back or push them out of Iraq,” former Obama Defense Secretary Robert Gates told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday.

 

Gates said he does not support a “re-invasion” of Iraq with “large ground forces,” but he does think “a few hundred troops” may be necessary on the ground.

 

“I think that it will be very difficult to roll ISIS back without forward air controllers and spotters, without embedded trainers with the Sunni tribes, with the Iraq army, with the Peshmerga, the Kurds. And I think some limited use of Special Forces.

 

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