By Michael Hernandez
WASHINGTON
A prominent U.S. Senator on Thursday called for the Obama administration to deploy ground forces to combat ISIL, just days after Republicans assumed control of both houses of Congress.
Sen. John McCain, Republican chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told Fox News that the Obama administration’s “lack of strategy” concerning ISIL will not result in the defeat of the militants who have made considerable battlefield gains in Syria and Iraq.
“We have to develop a strategy. And that's going to require United States involvement. Not the same as before, but certainly boots on the ground, forward air controllers, training -- a really robust effort to defeat ISIS,” he said using another acronym for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
McCain, who spent more than five years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, said that ISIL is “killing more of the Free Syrian Army than we are training because we refuse to stop Bashar Assad with the no-fly zone.”
His comments come as Turkey is reportedly preparing to sign a memorandum of understanding with the United States later this month to allow for a train and equip mission for Syrian opposition forces. Jordan and Saudi Arabia are expected to host similar programs.
Turkey has urged a no-fly zone to thwart Syrian military aircraft in the country, but the Obama administration has been reluctant to pursue the strategy.
