US Airstrikes In Syria Are Based On Startlingly Little Intelligence

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http://www.businessinsider.com/us-airstrikes-in-syria-are-based-on-startlingly-little-intelligence-2014-10


A British tornado jet prepares for takeoff at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus September 27, 2014. Two British fighter jets were flying over Iraq and ready to hit targets on Saturday, their first mission since parliament authorised strikes against Islamic State militants there, Britain's Ministry of Defence said.

The Pentagon is grappling with significant intelligence gaps as it bombs Iraq and Syria, and it is operating under less restrictive targeting rules than those President Barack Obama imposed on the CIA drone campaign in Pakistan and Yemen, according to current and former U.S. officials.

The U.S. military says its airstrikes have been discriminating and effective in disrupting an al-Qaida cell called the Khorasan Group and in halting the momentum of Islamic State militants. But independent analysts say the Islamic State group remains on the offensive in areas of Iraq and Syria, where it still controls large sections. And according to witnesses, U.S. airstrikes have at times hit empty buildings that were long ago vacated by Islamic State fighters.

Human rights groups also say coalition airstrikes in both countries have killed as many as two dozen civilians. U.S. officials say they can't rule out civilian deaths but haven't confirmed any.

"We do take extreme caution and care in the conduct of these missions," Rear Admiral John Kirby, the Pentagon's press secretary, told reporters Tuesday. "But there's risk in any military operation. There's a special kind of risk when you do air operations."



Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/us-airstrikes-in-syria-are-based-on-startlingly-little-intelligence-2014-10#ixzz3EtZLCaQf

[newfie11]

1. More recruits for ISIS. Way to go!

Or the next group to come along.

[morningfog]

2. In other words: boots on the ground are on the way.