Dempsey hits Islamic militant 'end-of-days' vision

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <a data-ylk="rspns:;t1:a3;t2:ct-mod;t3:ld;sec:ct-mod;slk:play;elm:img;elmt:ct;itc:1;grpt:grandslam-editor;edtr_vos:5a994555-4535-35e5-9a7a-ea3997f48587;g:a9185b73-754b-3912-962d-89e8d1063fe3;aid:f3fa4999-9777-3fba-9bb3-571c3bf343c3;ct:3;cpos:1;" href="http://news.yahoo.com/dempsey-hits-islamic-militant-end-days-vision-120301204.html#" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); text-align: center; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="" height="379px" src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/EQjTc_F.iuYh8EX8ZFh5Fg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTM3OTtweG9mZj01MDtweW9mZj0wO3E9NzU7dz02NzQ-/http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/video/touch_vision_0/d21408cbf76df6fc2d43117e0dbf2143" style="-webkit-transform: translate3d(0px, 0px, 0px); -webkit-transition: opacity 0.3333s ease 0ms; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; min-height: 1px; opacity: 1 !important; text-align: left; transition: opacity 0.3333s ease 0ms; vertical-align: baseline; visibility: visible !important; width: 718px;" width="674px" /></span></a><br /> <div class="cover-wrap " style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 30px; text-align: center; width: 718px;"> <div class=""> <div class="img-wrap" style="position: relative;"> <figure class=" cover cover-video " data-id="f3fa4999-9777-3fba-9bb3-571c3bf343c3" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><span class="icon-play icon-white-play-small" style="background-image: url(data:image/svg+xml; background-size: cover; border-bottom-left-radius: 7px; border-bottom-right-radius: 7px; border-top-left-radius: 7px; border-top-right-radius: 7px; cursor: pointer; height: 45px; left: 50%; margin-left: -32px; margin-top: -23px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; top: 50%; width: 64px; z-index: 1;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">.</span></span></figure></div> </div> </div> <div class="body yom-art-content clearfix" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Article" style="margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px 10px; zoom: 1;"> <div class="yom-ad yom-ad-LREC" id="yom-ad-LREC" style="border: none; clear: both; float: right; height: 250px; margin: 0px 0px 1.1em 10px; max-height: 250px; text-align: left; width: 300px;"> <center> <div class="yom-ad" id="yom-ad-LREC-iframe" style="border: none; clear: both; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;"> </div> </center> </div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.1em;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">WASHINGTON (AP) — America's top-ranked military officer says the surging Islamic State group has an "apocalyptic, end-of-days strategic vision" in the Middle East and cannot be defeated unless the United States and a coalition of partners confront it head-on in Syria.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.1em;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"They can be contained, not in perpetuity," Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a news conference.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.1em;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The United States so far has restricted a series of airstrikes to Iraq, but concerns have increased as the Islamic militant group has extended its reach from safe havens in civil-war-ravaged Syria across the Iraqi border.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.1em;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Appearing with Dempsey at the Pentagon Thursday, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel credited U.S. bombing as well as U.S. arms supplies to Iraqi and Kurdish forces as key factors in the recapture this week of the Mosul Dam in Iraq that had been in the hands of the Islamic State militants.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.1em;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Hagel said the U.S. airstrikes have helped Iraqi and Kurdish fighters regain their footing in Iraq. But the secretary also said in a question-and-answer session with reporters that the well-resourced Islamic State militants can be expected to regroup and stage a new offensive.</span></div> <div class="body-related" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 7.5px; margin-left: 7.5px; position: relative;"> <a class="body-related-link body-related-image go-to-slideshow-lightbox rapid-noclick-resp portrait onesize get-lbdata-from-dom" data-pos="1" data-uuid="b6ea5cfd-668d-3b1e-b0dd-8f3e069fc55c" data-ylk="t1:a3;t2:ct-mod;t3:embd;sec:ct-mod;slk:expand;elm:img;elmt:ct;itc:1;g:a9185b73-754b-3912-962d-89e8d1063fe3;aid:b6ea5cfd-668d-3b1e-b0dd-8f3e069fc55c;ct:4;cpos:1;" href="http://news.yahoo.com/lightbox/file-aug-20-2014-file-photo-shows-joint-photo-203205262.html" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 300px; position: relative; text-decoration: none;" title="FILE - This Aug. 20, 2014 file photo shows Joint&nbsp;&hellip;"><div class="img-wrap" style="position: relative;"> <span class="icon-slideshow icon-white-slideshow-xsmall" style="background-image: url(data:image/svg+xml; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: cover; border-bottom-left-radius: 4px; border-bottom-right-radius: 4px; border-top-left-radius: 4px; border-top-right-radius: 4px; bottom: 5px; cursor: pointer; height: 23px; left: 5px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; text-indent: 0px; width: 32px; z-index: 1;"></span><img alt="FILE - This Aug. 20, 2014 file photo shows Joint&nbsp;&hellip;" class="lzbg body-related-thumb" data-src-2x="" height="325" src="http://l.yimg.com/os/mit/media/m/base/images/transparent-1093278.png" style="-webkit-transform: translateZ(0px); -webkit-transition: opacity 0.3333s ease 0ms; background-image: none !important; background-position: initial initial !important; background-repeat: initial initial !important; border: 0px; display: block; opacity: 0 !important; transition: opacity 0.3333s ease 0ms; vertical-align: baseline; visibility: hidden !important;" width="300" /></div> </a><div class="body-related-title photo-caption" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 5px 5px 0px 0px; position: relative; width: 300px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">FILE - This Aug. 20, 2014 file photo shows Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey speaking at Mad …</span></div> </div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.1em;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Dempsey said that taking on the Islamic State more forcefully would not necessarily require airstrikes by the U.S. in Syria, although Hagel appeared to leave open that possibility by saying, "We're looking at all options."</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.1em;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Hagel said operations the U.S. military has undertaken so far "have stalled ISIL's momentum and enabled Iraqi and Kurdish forces to regain their footing and take the initiative." ISIL and ISIS are alternate acronyms for the Islamic State group that is an outgrowth of the al-Qaida terrorist network.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.1em;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The U.S. has restricted its military action to Iraq, but concerns have increased as the Islamic militant group extends its reach from safe havens in Syria across the Iraqi border.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.1em;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Dempsey, who served multiple tours in Iraq during the 2003-2011 war, was pointed in his comments about what it would take to ultimately defeat the Islamic State group.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.1em;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"They can be contained, not in perpetuity," Dempsey said. "This is an organization that has an apocalyptic, end-of-days strategic vision and which will eventually have to be defeated.</span></div> <div class="body-related" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 7.5px; margin-left: 7.5px; position: relative;"> <a class="body-related-link body-related-image go-to-slideshow-lightbox rapid-noclick-resp landscape onesize get-lbdata-from-dom" data-pos="2" data-uuid="dd8af3c6-b321-3e1d-99ac-6653fa285d13" data-ylk="t1:a3;t2:ct-mod;t3:embd;sec:ct-mod;slk:expand;elm:img;elmt:ct;itc:1;g:a9185b73-754b-3912-962d-89e8d1063fe3;aid:dd8af3c6-b321-3e1d-99ac-6653fa285d13;ct:4;cpos:2;" href="http://news.yahoo.com/lightbox/file-july-3-2014-file-photo-shows-defense-photo-202939090.html" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 300px; position: relative; text-decoration: none;" title="FILE - This July 3, 2014 file photo shows Defense&nbsp;&hellip;"><div class="img-wrap" style="position: relative;"> <span class="icon-slideshow icon-white-slideshow-xsmall" style="background-image: url(data:image/svg+xml; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: cover; border-bottom-left-radius: 4px; border-bottom-right-radius: 4px; border-top-left-radius: 4px; border-top-right-radius: 4px; bottom: 5px; cursor: pointer; height: 23px; left: 5px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; text-indent: 0px; width: 32px; z-index: 1;"></span><img alt="FILE - This July 3, 2014 file photo shows Defense&nbsp;&hellip;" class="lzbg body-related-thumb" data-src-2x="" height="206" src="http://l.yimg.com/os/mit/media/m/base/images/transparent-1093278.png" style="-webkit-transform: translateZ(0px); -webkit-transition: opacity 0.3333s ease 0ms; background-image: none !important; background-position: initial initial !important; background-repeat: initial initial !important; border: 0px; display: block; opacity: 0 !important; transition: opacity 0.3333s ease 0ms; vertical-align: baseline; visibility: hidden !important;" width="300" /></div> </a><div class="body-related-title photo-caption" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 5px 5px 0px 0px; position: relative; width: 300px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">FILE - This July 3, 2014 file photo shows Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel speaking at the Pentagon. Ha …</span></div> </div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.1em;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"To your question, can they be defeated without addressing that part of their organization which resides in Syria? The answer is no," he said. "That will have to be addressed on both sides of what is essentially at this point a nonexistent border.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.1em;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"And that will come when we have a coalition in the region that takes on the task of defeating ISIS over time," Dempsey added, using another acronym for the group. "ISIS will only truly be defeated when it's rejected by the 20 million disenfranchised Sunni that happen to reside between Damascus and Baghdad."</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.1em;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Neither Hagel nor Dempsey gave any indication of an imminent change in the U.S. military approach in Iraq, which President Barack Obama has said will include further airstrikes but not the introduction of American ground forces.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.1em;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The Pentagon on Thursday said U.S. warplanes had launched six airstrikes overnight to help solidify Iraqi and Kurdish forces' efforts to retake and maintain control of the Mosul Dam.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.1em;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It said the latest strikes destroyed or damaged three Humvees, multiple roadside bombs and another insurgent vehicle. The attacks brought to 90 the number of U.S. airstrikes in northern Iraq since Aug. 8. Fifty-seven of the 90 have been in support of Iraqi forces near the Mosul Dam.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 1.1em;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div> </div> </div>

Dempsey hits Islamic militant 'end-of-days' vision

. WASHINGTON (AP) — America's top-ranked military officer says the surging Islamic State group has an "apocalyptic,...

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