WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US specialized targeting force deploying to Iraq and Syria will help take out high-value targets but will not be enough to defeat the Islamic State (ISIL, also known as Daesh), former senior Pentagon official Steven Bucci told Sputnik.
"If one assumes that this small group will be Tier 1 SOF [Special Operations Forces] their role would only be high value targets," Bucci told Sputnik on Tuesday. "That is important, but not a war winner by itself."
The US top tier specialized unit, Bucci explained, might include members of Navy SEAL Team Six, the Army’s Delta Force and Special Operations Aviation regiment.
The United States, Bucci added, could still contribute constructively to the war in Syria and Iraq but needs to "gun up" its methodology, in addition to addressing issues like the flow of foreign fighters and Turkey’s porous border.
Last month, the White House has also announced the intent to send some 50 US special forces members to Syria to assist so-called moderate opposition factions fighting the Daesh jihadists.
The Islamic State is a militant group which has been outlawed and designated as a terrorist organization in numerous countries including Russia.
