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Task & Purpose | Are the recent airstrikes in Iraq and Syria really as 'defensive' as the Pentagon claims?
For the past two administrations, U.S. military officials have described airstrikes against Iranian-backed militia groups in Iraq and Syria as "defensive" — an odd word to describe bombing targets in another country.
It certainly fits within the vocabulary of American military-speak. After World War II, the Department of War was reorganized into the Department of Defense, which occasionally conducts offensive military operations, such as launching airstrikes against enemy targets.
Still, describing the airstrikes as "defensive" is a bit of a stretch considering they were not launched as U.S. forces were under attack. No U.S. official has claimed that American troops were in the middle of a firefight at the time U.S warplanes attacked the targets in Iraq and Syria. |
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