The Islamic State has accepted a pledge of allegiance from Nigeria’s Boko Haram. In the audio recording, ISIS spokesperson Abu Mohammad al-Adnani urged Muslims that Africa represents a “new door for you to migrate to the land of Islam and fight.”
Boko Haram’s pledge came in the wake of new polls that show major American support for U.S. ground troops to combat ISIS. The Quinnipiac poll found that 62 percent of Americans supported ground troops, while 30 percent oppose.
Increasingly more Americans support deployment of ground troops as atrocities and attacks by ISIS stack up. President Obama even acknowledged that the U.S. greatly underestimated the strength of IS. While the debate in Congress rages on, U.S. airstrikes and an Arab military forces continue to bombard IS.
But an Arab military will not be enough to eliminate the radical militants, especially against an experience and organized groups as IS. Late 2014, the CIA estimated that the Islamic States held between 20,000 and 31,500 forces. With the addition of Boko Haram’s militant, IS’s reach and numbers grow and the U.S. must intervene before the situation reaches a point where we’re forced to face war.
History demonstrates that Arab military cooperation doesn’t raise much confidence. Syria, one of the strongest and able Arab countries, continues to struggle in their conflict against IS for nearly four years. While the Pentagon hyped up the Iraqi-led, U.S.-guided offensive against IS-held Mosul, Iraqis worry that their forces will fail to be efficiently prepared. Fearing that the residents might vacate the city or join the fight against them, IS tightened their grasp on Mosul to prevent people from escaping.
“In my view, American boots on the ground should always be the last step, and we need to exercise other steps before that,” Texas Senator Ted Cruz said, “We have the availability of overwhelming air power.”
For months the U.S. engaged in airstrikes against IS troops, the most recent one killed 250. President Obama expects this operation to last three years and can cost up to $10 billion per year.
Airstrikes won’t cut it. Ground troops must be deployed for a real opportunity to destroy IS and liberate Iraq and Syria. Bullets are cheaper than missiles, but society can’t place a price on saving the lives of those displaced and murdered. Ground troops should be the last option, we have to exhaust all other alternatives before deployment, but the world viewed as ISIS less of a threat a year ago. Now, they have a firm grasp on critical towns.
2016 Republican presidential contender Rick Perry said, “We are going to have to have our military actively engaged with other countries’ armed forces that are combating ISIS.”
The United States is a world power that possesses the ability to liberate Iraq and Syria from the fanaticism of ISIS. With Arab support in the region, especially the Peshmerga, not only do we have an opportunity to save towns and families, but a responsibility to protect American and Western values. It is our duty to prevent further pillages of towns and murders and to reinstill hope in a region that longs from peace.
