Trump Tactic Orders to Annihilate ISIS: James Mattis

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis declared changes in tactics ordered by President Trump for increasing the pressure on the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and said the new approaches approved to defeat Islamic State militants have begun to bear fruit.

Mattis during a Pentagon briefing on the counter-ISIS campaign said, “he directed a tactical shift from shoving ISIS out of safe locations in an attrition fight to surrounding the enemy in their strongholds so we can annihilate ISIS.”

Trump’s order, Mattis said, has shifted the focus from surrounding ISIS fighters in their strongholds and waiting them out to attacking them and choking off their lines of retreat.

He said, “two significant changes resulted from President Trump’s review of our findings. First, he delegated authority to the right level to aggressively and in a timely manner move against enemy vulnerabilities. Secondly, he directed a tactical shift from shoving ISIS out of safe locations in an attrition fight to surrounding the enemy in their strongholds so we can annihilate ISIS.  The intent is to prevent the return home of escaped foreign fighters.”

General Dunford about the securing additional commitments from allies for putting more forces into Afghanistan said, ” counterparts was to say that, if political decision makers decide on the 25th of May to increase the forces that are in Afghanistan then we should be prepared to provide those as quickly as possible. I was very encouraged by the tone in Brussels and by — around the room, I think it’s fair to say, 28 of the 28 nations sitting around the table, all were committed to an enduring presence in Afghanistan and continue to support, particularly President Ghani’s articulated plan for security.”

NATO leaders are expected to gather in Brussels by the next week to announce the new U.S. strategies.

Reported by Nazira Karimi in Washington D.C.

Edited by Muhammad ZackArya