Hey, remember our war-not-war versus ISIS in Syria or wherever? You could be excused for forgetting, because it seems even the Pentagon and White House have only barely remembered to wage it:
ISIS continues to gain substantial ground in Syria, despite nearly 800 airstrikes in the American-led campaign to break its grip there.
At least one-third of the country’s territory is now under ISIS influence, with recent gains in rural areas that can serve as a conduit to major cities that the so-called Islamic State hopes to eventually claim as part of its caliphate. Meanwhile, the Islamic extremist group does not appear to have suffered any major ground losses since the strikes began. The result is a net ground gain for ISIS, according to information compiled by two groups with on-the-ground sources.
In Syria, ISIS “has not any lost any key terrain,” Jennifer Cafarella, a fellow at the Washington, D.C.-based Institute for the Study of War who studies the Syrian conflict, explained to The Daily Beast.
Operation Inherent Resolve (no tittering in the back row, please) began on September 22 of last year — 115 days ago. That’s fewer than seven airstrikes a day against targets in a broad swathe across the Fertile Crescent.
This is not a serious war, and the lack of results should surprise no one.
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