{"id":89886,"date":"2018-04-19T19:26:12","date_gmt":"2018-04-19T19:26:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/04\/19\/after-syria-missile-strikes-us-stuck-in-holding-pattern\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T09:01:44","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T09:01:44","slug":"after-syria-missile-strikes-us-stuck-in-holding-pattern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/04\/19\/after-syria-missile-strikes-us-stuck-in-holding-pattern\/","title":{"rendered":"After Syria missile strikes, US stuck in holding pattern"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 The drama of U.S. and allied <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2018\/04\/14\/retaliatory-strikes-on-syria-underway\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">missile strikes on Syria<\/a> has obscured a sobering fact: The U.S.-led campaign to eliminate the Islamic State from Syria has stalled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. has 2,000 troops in Syria assisting local Arab and Kurdish fighters against ISIS, even as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/2018\/04\/04\/trump-wants-troops-out-of-syria-but-his-generals-may-resist\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\" data-original-title=\"\">President Donald Trump resists deeper U.S. involvemen<\/a>t and is eager to withdraw completely in coming months. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2018\/04\/04\/white-house-says-syria-mission-coming-to-a-rapid-end\/\" title=\"\" class=\"selected-link\" target=\"_blank\" data-original-title=\"\" aria-describedby=\"popover125110\">Trump wants \u201cother people\u201d to deal with Syria<\/a>, whose civil war has spawned the greatest humanitarian crisis since World War II in terms of refugees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s unclear whether Trump will go ahead with a total U.S. withdrawal while ISIS retains even a small presence in Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/04\/17\/us-forces-remain-near-manbij-isis-has-moved-on\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-941295934.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Why US forces remain near Manbij while ISIS has moved elsewhere in Syria<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The bulk of the remaining fighters are far from Manbij; however US forces needed to keep ISIS from resurging.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since January, when Trump asserted in his State of the Union address that \u201cvery close to 100 percent\u201d of ISIS territory in Syria and Iraq had been liberated, progress toward extinguishing the extremists\u2019 caliphate, or self-proclaimed state, has ground to a halt and shows no sign of restarting. U.S. warplanes continue to periodically bomb remaining pockets of ISIS in eastern Syria, but ground operations by U.S. partner forces have slowed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019ve halted forward progress and are essentially attempting to avoid losing territory we\u2019ve gained to date,\u201d said Jennifer Cafarella, an analyst at the Institute for the Study of War. She sees two potential solutions: send additional U.S. combat power to eastern Syria to take on ISIS more directly, or resolve a diplomatic dispute with Turkey that has largely sidelined the main U.S. military partner in Syria, the Syrian Democratic Forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now that Trump has upped the ante by attacking Syria directly for the second time in just over a year, Cafarella said in an interview this week, it is possible that Syria and its two main international supporters \u2014 Russia and Iran \u2014 will retaliate militarily against American forces and their Kurdish and Arab partners in eastern Syria \u201cin an attempt to compel an American withdrawal by raising the cost of continued American involvement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"869\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18109607294726.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-92080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18109607294726.jpg.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18109607294726.jpg.jpg?resize=300,255 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18109607294726.jpg.jpg?resize=768,652 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">U.S. service members depart a C-17 Globemaster III conducting combat airlift operations for U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria on April 13, 2018. (Tech. Sgt. Gregory Brook\/U.S. Air Force via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. began bombing ISIS in Syria in September 2014 and deployed an initial contingent of 50 special operations troops in the country the following year. The anti-ISIS campaign gained momentum in 2016 and made its biggest gains during Trump\u2019s first year in office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A spokesman for the U.S.-led military coalition against ISIS refused this week to say how many ISIS fighters remain. Col. Ryan Dillon said they are holed up mainly in two places in eastern Syria. He said they are in and around the town of Hajin on the Euphrates River north of Bukamal and in Dashisha near the city of Deir el-Zour. They are \u201ccontained\u201d in these areas, he asserted, suggesting they are not in immediate danger of being ousted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of concern, Dillon said, are indications that ISIS is stepping up successful attacks against pro-government fighters elsewhere in Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/04\/15\/analysis-trump-finds-leaving-syria-tougher-than-he-thought\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18104042404513.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Analysis: Trump finds leaving Syria tougher than he thought<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">In heated exchanges with his national security team in recent weeks, President Donald Trump repeatedly made clear he saw little incentive for the United States to be involved in Syria\u2019s intractable civil war.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Trump administration has been saying in recent months that 98 percent of ISIS territory has been liberated, suggesting the campaign was close to final victory, although on April 3 the Army general overseeing the campaign, Joseph Votel, put it differently, saying \u201cwell over 90 percent\u201d of the caliphate had been retaken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe situation continues to become more and more complex,\u201d Votel said, alluding in part to the effects of a Turkish incursion into the town of Afrin in northwestern Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Afrin operation was part of a Turkish plan to drive the main Syrian Kurdish militia, known as the YPG, away from the Turkish border area. Turkey considers the YPG a threat to its national security and an extension of Kurdish insurgents inside Turkey. But the YPG also is America\u2019s main partner in Syria; it forms the backbone of the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF. Turkey\u2019s advance on Afrin prompted the SDF to shift from fighting IS to confronting Turkey in Afrin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The result: \u201cWe are no longer in an offensive effort on the ground against them (Islamic State),\u201d Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters March 27.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/04\/17\/us-senators-introduce-new-check-on-presidential-war-powers\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18104690350535.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">US senators introduce new war authorization with no expiration date<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">President Donald Trump would get broad authority to use force against terror groups, with no expiration date, under a new bipartisan proposal unveiled in the U.S. Senate on Monday.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even so, eliminating ISIS in Syria remains the goal, he said after Trump announced the missile strikes to punish the Syrian government for its alleged chemical weapons use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The barrage of 105 missiles launched by the United States, Britain and France last week to destroy elements of Syria\u2019s chemical weapons arsenal was designed to deter President Bashar Assad from repeating his alleged use of chlorine gas and perhaps nerve gas on civilians in a Damascus suburb. It was unrelated to the ISIS problem, except in the sense that it highlighted the jumble of actors involved and the absence of a broad U.S. strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sen. John McCain, one of the Congress\u2019 most vocal advocates for a fuller U.S. role in Syria, praised Trump for the missile strikes. But he also said the president needs to look beyond defeating ISIS and stopping further chemical weapons use by Assad to tackle the bigger challenge of regional conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAirstrikes disconnected from a broader strategy may be necessary, but they alone will not achieve U.S. objectives in the Middle East,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The drama of U.S. and allied missile strikes on Syria has obscured a sobering fact: The U.S.-led campaign to eliminate the Islamic State from Syria has stalled.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":92076,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":10,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"4":{"categories":["flashpoints","your-air-force","news","pentagon-congress","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"flashpoints"},"5":{"categories":["flashpoints","your-army","news","pentagon-congress","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"flashpoints"},"6":{"categories":["flashpoints","your-marine-corps","news","pentagon-congress","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"flashpoints"},"7":{"categories":["flashpoints","your-navy","news","pentagon-congress","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"flashpoints"}}},"categories":[10,15,86,88],"tags":[],"coauthors":[2496],"class_list":["post-89886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-flashpoints","category-news","category-pentagon-congress","category-your-military"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"UDSCOHMZUJCGVJZ7GASFEIHEBI","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/2018\/04\/19\/after-syria-missile-strikes-us-stuck-in-holding-pattern\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>After Syria missile strikes, US stuck in holding pattern - Military Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The drama of U.S. and allied missile strikes on Syria has obscured a sobering fact: The U.S.-led campaign to eliminate the Islamic State from Syria has stalled.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"After Syria missile strikes, US stuck in holding pattern\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The drama of U.S. and allied missile strikes on Syria has obscured a sobering fact: The U.S.-led campaign to eliminate the Islamic State from Syria has stalled.\" 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