They should have been armed a long time ago.
To defeat Islamic State, arm the Kurds, retired general says
By Howard Altman | Tribune Staff
Published: July 5, 2015
America’s most competent and trustworthy indigenous ally in the fight against Islamic State is making gains in both Iraq and Syria despite a lack of arms and equipment. And it is coming at a heavy cost.
Jay Garner has some advice.
Give the Kurds — who are mostly armed only with rocket propelled grenades and AK-47 rifles — more lethal weapons. Give them vehicles. Deploy A-10 Thunderbolt IIs and Apache attack helicopters specifically to provide rapid close air support to help the Kurds maintain their long and tenuous front against the Islamic State and to continue their advances toward Raqqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq.
“The Kurds have lost close to 5,000 troops if not more,” says Garner. “I don’t know how many have been injured. Probably many thousands. Most of that is because they don’t have the weapons they need. Most of the casualties would have been averted had they been supplied correctly.”
More than most people in Florida who don’t work inside the gates of MacDill Air Force Base, Garner has a good idea of how to help the Kurds.
Continue reading at:
To defeat Islamic State arm the Kurds retired general says TBO.com and The Tampa Tribune
A retired Army three-star and former Army Asst. Vice Chief of Staff, Garner first got to know the Kurds during his stint as Commanding General, Joint Task Force Bravo during Operation Provide Comfort in northern Iraq after Desert Storm.
To defeat Islamic State, arm the Kurds, retired general says
By Howard Altman | Tribune Staff
Published: July 5, 2015
America’s most competent and trustworthy indigenous ally in the fight against Islamic State is making gains in both Iraq and Syria despite a lack of arms and equipment. And it is coming at a heavy cost.
Jay Garner has some advice.
Give the Kurds — who are mostly armed only with rocket propelled grenades and AK-47 rifles — more lethal weapons. Give them vehicles. Deploy A-10 Thunderbolt IIs and Apache attack helicopters specifically to provide rapid close air support to help the Kurds maintain their long and tenuous front against the Islamic State and to continue their advances toward Raqqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq.
“The Kurds have lost close to 5,000 troops if not more,” says Garner. “I don’t know how many have been injured. Probably many thousands. Most of that is because they don’t have the weapons they need. Most of the casualties would have been averted had they been supplied correctly.”
More than most people in Florida who don’t work inside the gates of MacDill Air Force Base, Garner has a good idea of how to help the Kurds.
Continue reading at:
To defeat Islamic State arm the Kurds retired general says TBO.com and The Tampa Tribune
A retired Army three-star and former Army Asst. Vice Chief of Staff, Garner first got to know the Kurds during his stint as Commanding General, Joint Task Force Bravo during Operation Provide Comfort in northern Iraq after Desert Storm.