The right way to take out ISIS is a large-scale raid

By Gary Anderson

October 12, 2014 | 4:54pm

President Obama outlining his strategy to fight ISIS at a visit to MacDill Air Force base in Tampa, Fla., last month. Photo: EPA

Going beyond airpower to take down ISIS doesn’t have to mean a new US occupation of Middle East territory. The best answer may well be a large-scale raid.

A recent poll showed that over 70 percent of the American people believe that taking out ISIS will eventually require US combat troops. They don’t necessarily like it, but they recognize the reality of the situation.

Few military professionals think the war can be resolved by aerial bombardment alone. This point was rammed brutally home on Oct. 3 when ISIS forces overran the Iraqi city of Hit despite the best efforts of coalition airpower; the slow fall of Kobani reinforces the lesson.