US air raids(show) against ISIL ineffective: Analyst

A political analyst says the ongoing US-led airstrikes against positions of the ISIL terrorist group across Iraq have proven inefficient and ineffective.

James Jatras, a former US Senate foreign policy analyst from Washington told Press TV that “airpower alone cannot accomplish much of anything without ground forces.”

The commentator further stressed that the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 should be blamed for the poor battlefield performance of the badly trained Iraqi military in recent months.

One of the arguments for pinning the blame on the United States centers on the post-invasion failure to set up a proper national Iraqi army, he stated.

Jatras suggested that the different echelons of Iraqi society must soon settle their differences in order to stifle the growing militancy.

He also hailed the Iranian government’s efforts to support Baghdad in its fight against terrorism.

The US and its allies have been unable to ignore Iran’s effective and positive role in resisting and combating terrorists groups in the troubled region, the analyst concluded.

The remarks come as Washington says it is striking ISIL positions in both Iraq and Syria, but there is skepticism on both sides of the border about the real objective of the airstrikes.

Experts believe that the US agenda is not about rooting out ISIL, but it is more about maintaining certain interests within the Middle East.

The ISIL terrorists currently control swathes of territory across Syria and Iraq. They have committed terrible atrocities in both countries, including mass executions and the beheading of local residents as well as foreign nationals.