The head of the military’s Special Operations Command conceded Wednesday that it might not currently be possible for the United States’ allies in Syria to take back Raqqa from the Islamic State (ISIL).
Gen. Joseph Votel told Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) that he believes the Pentagon’s Syrian partners “are capable” of seizing the de facto capital of ISIL, but isn’t sure. He said there is not presently a plan to either take or hold the city.
Votel also noted, again, in response to a question from Graham, that Kurds comprise “about 80 percent” of the Syrian Democratic Forces—a loose coalition of Kurdish and Arab militants enlisted in the US-backed effort to eliminate the self-proclaimed caliphate.
In November, The Financial Times noted the Syrian Democratic Forces had “capabilities and conflicting loyalties [that] are hard for Washington to assess.”
“Some members of the Syrian Arab opposition are already describing the plans to liberate Raqqa as a disaster waiting to happen because of tensions between the Kurdish and Arab groups and questions about the commitment of some of the fighters,” the paper reported. Relatively few Kurds lived in Raqqa, a Sunni Arab city, before it was seized by ISIL in 2013.
The admission from Votel could ratchet up the pressure on the administration to devote more resources to the campaign to “degrade and destroy” ISIL, as President Obama has repeatedly described it.
Last month, Senate Armed Services Committee Chair John McCain (R-Ariz.) said “a few thousand” US troops should take Raqqa alongside armies from Sunni Arab countries, “including Turkey.”
On Tuesday, the head of the Pentagon bureau overseeing combat operations in the Middle East made no indication that would be the case, sticking to prior plans.
“The Iraqis will take back Mosul and we will work with the Syrian indigenous forces to take back Raqqa, as well,” CENTCOM Commander Gen. Lloyd Austin told Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.). Mosul is the largest city held by ISIL in Iraq.
Austin did, however, say that he has recommended his superiors authorize “additional capability” in preparation for future assaults on both Mosul and Raqqa. US-backed Iraqi efforts to retake the former “are still months away,” USA Today reported on Monday, but an initiative to start isolating the city has already begun.
Austin would not divulge details for what his requested “additional capability” would look like. But, when asked by Rounds what additional ground troops could do, the CENTCOM leader said they would provide “better human intelligence,” increased logistical assistance, and enhanced “elements of the Special Operations footprint.”
The US military currently has about 4,000 troops deployed to Iraq to fight ISIL, as Rounds noted.
Both Votel and Austin spoke Tuesday at a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
