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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsNYT: Pentagon Is Ordered to Expand Potential Targets in Syria With a Focus on Forces
'Limited engagement' my ass! The administration is running a con job!
[font size=4]Pentagon Is Ordered to Expand Potential Targets in Syria With a Focus on Forces[/font]
WASHINGTON President Obama has directed the Pentagon to develop an expanded list of potential targets in Syria in response to intelligence suggesting that the government of President Bashar al-Assad has been moving troops and equipment used to employ chemical weapons while Congress debates whether to authorize military action.
Mr. Obama, officials said, is now determined to put more emphasis on the degrade part of what the administration has said is the goal of a military strike against Syria to deter and degrade Mr. Assads ability to use chemical weapons. That means expanding beyond the 50 or so major sites that were part of the original target list developed with French forces before Mr. Obama delayed action on Saturday to seek Congressional approval of his plan.
For the first time, the administration is talking about using American and French aircraft to conduct strikes on specific targets, in addition to ship-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles. There is a renewed push to get other NATO forces involved.
The strikes would be aimed not at the chemical stockpiles themselves risking a potential catastrophe but rather the military units that have stored and prepared the chemical weapons and carried the attacks against Syrian rebels, as well as the headquarters overseeing the effort, and the rockets and artillery that have launched the attacks, military officials said Thursday.
< . . . >
WASHINGTON President Obama has directed the Pentagon to develop an expanded list of potential targets in Syria in response to intelligence suggesting that the government of President Bashar al-Assad has been moving troops and equipment used to employ chemical weapons while Congress debates whether to authorize military action.
Mr. Obama, officials said, is now determined to put more emphasis on the degrade part of what the administration has said is the goal of a military strike against Syria to deter and degrade Mr. Assads ability to use chemical weapons. That means expanding beyond the 50 or so major sites that were part of the original target list developed with French forces before Mr. Obama delayed action on Saturday to seek Congressional approval of his plan.
For the first time, the administration is talking about using American and French aircraft to conduct strikes on specific targets, in addition to ship-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles. There is a renewed push to get other NATO forces involved.
The strikes would be aimed not at the chemical stockpiles themselves risking a potential catastrophe but rather the military units that have stored and prepared the chemical weapons and carried the attacks against Syrian rebels, as well as the headquarters overseeing the effort, and the rockets and artillery that have launched the attacks, military officials said Thursday.
< . . . >
Read full article at: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/06/world/middleeast/pentagon-is-ordered-to-expand-potential-targets-in-syria-with-a-focus-on-forces.html
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NYT: Pentagon Is Ordered to Expand Potential Targets in Syria With a Focus on Forces (Original Post)
markpkessinger
Sep 2013
OP
Tx4obama
(36,974 posts)1. In my opinion, that is kind of a silly article headline since the list is a draft to begin with...
... and has never been finalized - so expanding the target list is something that was an ongoing process anyway.
markpkessinger
(8,395 posts)2. Kicking
because it's important!
Warren Stupidity
(48,181 posts)3. Mission creep in progress.
Nobody could have anticipated this.
markpkessinger
(8,395 posts)4. And before the mission has even begun n/t
markpkessinger
(8,395 posts)5. kick n/t