Experts: US ISIS Strategy 'Fundamentally Flawed'
As Islamic State continues to conquer more of Syria and Iraq, critics are again saying the White House strategy against the terrorist group is clearly not working.
With the fall of the ancient city of Palmyra and a nearby military base, the jihadist army now controls half of Syria.
There are fears ISIS soldiers will destroy the city's priceless artifacts as they have done in other cities because they view the historic treasures as sinful idols.
The news comes after ISIS fighters seized the city of Ramadi in Iraq over the weekend.
Meanwhile, President Barack Obama says he doesn't think America is losing the battle against ISIS, and told The Atlantic magazine the fall of Ramadi is just a "tactical setback."
Defense experts disagreed, telling lawmakers on Capitol Hill Thursday that the U.S. strategy is failing.
"Looking at this strategy today we know now that the conceptual plan is fundamentally flawed," retired Army Gen. Jack Keane told lawmakers. "We are in fact losing this war. Moreover, I can say with certainly that his strategy will not defeat ISIS."
Retired Army Col. Derek Harvey echoed Keane's sentiments.
"ISIS is not losing," he testified. "I believe that the U.S. continues to underestimate the Islamic State, which I suspect shows a lack of understanding the Islamic State, its capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses and how it sees the fight and the path to victory."
Obama once belittled ISIS as just the "JV team" - the junior varsity. Experts say it's clearly not.
"This is a group of unfathomable evil and unfortunately they are extremely effective," Dr. Fred Kagan, a military analyst for the American Enterprise Institute, said. "This is a serious threat. What I can't discern is any coherent American strategy to respond to this threat."
It's abundantly clear that ISIS knows what it's doing. Meanwhile, critics warn it's less clear that the White House does.