Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said senators left a full chamber briefing on the Islamic State given by top Trump administration officials with more clarity and an impression that more energy was going toward wiping out the extremist group.
The closed-door briefing by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford comes as the U.S.-led coalition makes significant gains toward pushing the Islamic State from Iraq and Syria.
“There is just a lot more clarity, a lot more focus on annihilation,” said Corker, who is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “Anybody that listened to that hearing understands they’re all about killing every ISIS member they can get ahold of.”
However, senators said what Mattis, Tillerson, and Dunford provided was an update on war progress, and the officials did not deliver President Trump’s long-awaited new strategy for defeating the group.
Mattis has said the military has changed tactics by surrounding areas held by the Islamic State and eliminating all fighters, instead of allowing routes of escape.
Corker batted away a question about what has changed from the Obama administration strategy that focused on working with a coalition and local security forces. The U.S. has continued many of the same operations in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan under the Trump administration.
“Comparisons are odious,” and the briefing made clear the Trump administration has a renewed energy and focus for the fight, Corker said.
“It’s sort of a whole different kind of effort that is underway, and I think people will leave there pretty upbeat about what’s happening,” he said.
The briefing was classified, and other senators declined to discuss details.
