US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel testifies on US policy towards Iraq and Syria and the threat posed by the Islamic State (IS) group during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC
AFP/Washington
Planned US air strikes against Islamic State jihadists in Syria will target extremist sanctuaries, command centers and logistic networks, Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel told lawmakers Tuesday.
"This plan includes targeted actions against ISIL safe havens in Syria -- including its command and control, logistics capabilities, and infrastructure," Hagel told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
But the US military's top-ranking officer, General Martin Dempsey, told the same hearing that the bombing would not resemble the large-scale raids that accompanied the start of the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq. Commanders at the time dubbed the campaign a bid to provoke "shock and awe" among ex-dictator Saddam Hussein's troops.
"This will not look like 'shock and awe' because that is not how ISIL is organized, but it will be persistent and sustainable," Dempsey said.
