Th
e Pentagon’s quarterly report to Congress on the situation in Iraq, released just last week, takes full note of the “escalating violence,” much of it striking Iraqis rather than coalition forces. It also describes the cumulative effect of attacks on Iraqi infrastructure and the poor attempt at repair, noting how this increasing inability to deliver essential services has “undermined the legitimacy of the government among the Iraqi people.” More US dollars are on the way.
The U.S. sent Air Force F-16s over central Syria in a show of force following the Dec. 13 killing of two U.S. Army Soldiers and one American civilian interpreter by a gunman linked to the Islamic State group.
