US eyeing up INVASION of Iraq and Syria to step up fight with ISIS

He indicated that American action on the ground could be involved, with the message coming days after a serviceman was killed in a special operations raid to free 69 Iraqis who were about to be executed by ISIS. 

He said the US now wants to deny the "evil movement" any safe havens, by forcing it into a "smaller and smaller" area

Mr Carter told the Senate Armed Services Committee: "We won't hold back from supporting capable partners in opportunistic attacks against ISIS, or conducting such missions directly whether by strikes from the air or direct action on the ground."

He did not say under what circumstances the US might act on the ground on its own, but said "once we locate them, no target is beyond our reach."

Carter's comments have been interpreted by some critics as an acknowledgement of little recent progress in defeating the militant group.

However, Russia launched a bombing campaign against ISIS at the start of October, and claims to have hit nearly 1,000 terrorist targets in Syria in that time.

Washington and Moscow have argued over the Kremlin's true intentions, with the US accusing Russian president Vladimir Putin of targeting rebels fighting the Syrian government in a bid to prop up his counterpart Bashar al-Assad's regime.

Russia insists it is fighting terrorists in the region, while the US has made no secret of its desire to see Assad removed from power.

Carter said the US would intensify the air campaign against ISIS with additional aircraft and heavier airstrikes.

Carter said the US-led effort will include more strikes against "high-value targets as our intelligence improves, and also its oil enterprise, which is a critical pillar of ISIS's financial infrastructure."

He said he was disappointed that the US effort to form new moderate Syrian rebel forces to fight ISIS had failed.

Carter said: "If done in concert as we intend, all these actions on the ground and from the air should help shrink IS territory into a smaller and smaller area and create new opportunities for targeting IS - ultimately denying this evil movement any safe haven in its supposed heartland."

Last week, Russia revealed how ISIS commanders and al-Qaida offshoot Jubhat al-Nusra were locked in secret talks to unite against Syrian troops.

It emerged yesterday how ISIS tied three prisoners to ancient pillars in Palmyra before executing them by blowing the structures up.

(dailystar.co.uk)