Carter: U.S. willing to do more to help Iraqis retake Ramadi

WASHINGTON – In a steady escalation of the fight against Islamic State militants, the U.S. military stands ready to send more American personnel and attack helicopters to Iraq, especially to help retake a key city seized by the extremists, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Wednesday.

In recent days, Iraqi forces advanced on Ramadi, the provincial capital of Anbar province, retaking a military operations center and a neighborhood on the outskirts of the city in western Iraq.

“The United States is prepared to assist the Iraqi army with additional unique capabilities to help them finish the job, including attack helicopters and accompanying advisers” if circumstances dictate the extra assistance, and if requested by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, Carter told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Carter outlined the steps as the Obama administration faces criticism about its strategy to defeat the IS militants, reflecting a nation’s growing fears about terrorism. It was the first time Carter has testified before the committee since IS claimed responsibility for bombing a Russian airliner, attacks in Beirut and Paris, and the shooting in San Bernardino, California, by a self-radicalized couple.

Carter said that during the past several months, the U.S.-led coalition fighting IS in Iraq and Syria has provided specialized training and equipment, including combat engineering assistance such as bulldozing, and munitions such as AT-4 shoulder-fired missiles to stop truck bombs, to the Iraqi army and counter-terrorism service units entering Ramadi neighborhoods from multiple directions.

He predicted tough fighting ahead, but said the Iraqi forces have shown resilience when faced with counter-attacks from IS.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., chairman of the committee, advocated for more U.S. troops to be sent to stem IS momentum. “There are 20,000 to 30,000 of them. They are not giants. Somebody is going to have to convince me that air power alone” is going to do the job, McCain said.

McCain acknowledged tactical progress, but said “we are not winning this war” and “time is not on our side.”

At the current pace, he said U.S. commanders estimate IS will still control Mosul in Iraq at the end of next year. In Syria, IS will not be destroyed until Raqqa, the capital of their so-called caliphate, is recaptured, he said.

Air Force Gen. Paul Selva, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the U.S. is not sure if Syrian democratic forces and their Kurdish partners are a big enough force to hold Raqqa if it were retaken. He said the U.S. hopes U.S. Special Operations forces will be able to generate ground intelligence to surmise which forces are available to hold Raqqa. He said if Ramadi is retaken, the Iraqi government expects a predominantly Sunni police force to work to hold the area.

Carter defended the administration’s decision not to deploy a heavy U.S. ground force.

“In the near-term, it would be a significant undertaking that, realistically, we would embark upon largely by ourselves; and it would be ceding our comparative advantage of special forces, mobility and firepower instead fighting on the enemy’s terms,” Carter said.