WASHINGTON, September 25 (RIA Novosti) – The success of the operation against the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization is not guaranteed, former US President Bill Clinton told CNN.
"I think that success [of the anti-IS operation] is not guaranteed," Clinton told CNN Wednesday.
The former president added that the IS is doing its best to involve US ground troops in the region. "I think what ISIS was trying to do was to sucker us in to putting a lot of soldiers on the ground so they could shift the blame from themselves to us for all the violence in the area."
According to Clinton, the United States cannot win the war against the IS for local tribal leaders. "What we learned repeatedly is that when the Sunni tribal leaders who are not militant and not twisting Islam for their political objectives are willing to fight, they can reclaim their country. And we should help them do it. But it's not a fight we can win for them."
The Unites States carried out a number of airstrikes against IS positions in Syria using aircraft, drones and Tomahawk missiles. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates also reportedly took part in the attacks.
The IS, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), has been fighting against Syrian government since 2012. In June 2014, the group extended its attacks to northern and western Iraq, declaring a caliphate on the territories over which it had control.
