Pentagon Insists Mosul Dam Strikes Aren't Mission Creep
Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby insists the airstrikes on Mosul Dam were not "mission creep."
“Mission creep refers to the growth or expansion of the goals and objectives of a military operation -- that the goals and objectives change, morph into something bigger than they were at the outset,” he explained.
“... Nothing has changed about the missions that we're conducting inside Iraq. ... Airstrikes are authorized under two mission areas -- humanitarian assistance and the protection of U.S. personnel and facilities,” the admiral said.
The airstrikes in and around Mosul Dam fit into both of those categories, he said.
How do the strikes fit into those categories? He acknowledges ISIS' intent "was not clear" and then says:
If that dam was to blow or they were to open and flood the gates, that it could have an effect as far south as Baghdad.”
< Ferguson Updates | Wednesday Open Thread > |