American ground troops could be needed to defeat the brutal terror group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria because the stakes are so high, House Speaker John Boehner said in an interview that aired Sunday.
“We have no choice,” the Ohio Republican said when asked directly whether U.S. ground troops should be sent if current efforts to defeat the group also known as ISIS or ISIL using moderate Syrian rebels and Iraqi military forces fails.
“These are barbarians,” Boehner said of ISIS fighters on ABC’s “This Week.” “They intend to kill us. If we don’t destroy them first, we’re going to pay the price.”
Boehner stopped short of saying American ground troops should be sent now. He did say he has little faith in President Obama’s plan to use local forces as proxies, augmented by U.S.-led airstrikes.
“I think it’s going to take more than airstrikes to drive them out of there,” Boehner said of ISIS, which has captured large tracts of territory in Syria and Iraq. “At some point, somebody’s boots have to be on the ground. Maybe we can get enough of these (Syrian) forces trained to get them on the battlefield. But somebody’s boots have to be there.”
Boehner said he believes Obama has sufficient authority to wage war against the Islamic State based on a pair of congressional resolutions passed in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. However, he said Obama should call for a new resolution and “sell that to the American people.”
The president hasn’t done that.
If Obama does seek a new resolution, Boehner said he would bring the House back from recess for a vote.
