Civilian death in the fight against Daesh (ISIL) in Iraq and Syria is merely a “fact of life,” US Defense Secretary James Mattis says, noting that Washington’s has shifted its tactic against the terror group from “attrition” to “annihilation.”
Speaking to CBS on Sunday, Mattis said the change of policy was primarily aimed at preventing Daesh’s foreign members from returning to their own countries.
“We have already shifted from attrition tactics, where we shove them from one position to another in Iraq and Syria, to annihilation tactics, where we surround them. Our intention is that the foreign fighters do not survive the fight to return home,” Mattis claimed.
“Civilian casualties are a fact of life in this sort of situation,” the Pentagon chief added, claiming that “We’ve had success on the battlefield.”
The comments came days after reports emerged that US-led airstrikes against purported Daesh positions in Iraq and Syria…