White House insists anti-Isis strategy is on track despite setbacks on the ground

Isis advances on Baghdad and Kobani despite 21 air strikes

Turkey bombs Kurdish targets in south-east of country

Dan Roberts in Washington and Constanze Letsch in Istanbul

The Guardian, Tuesday 14 October 2014 20.31 BST

The Guardian

The US-led campaign to combat Islamic State (Isis) fighters in Syria and Iraq is facing a growing crisis of confidence as setbacks on the battlefield coincide with efforts to improve allied coordination and calls for President Barack Obama to escalate the military attacks.

White House officials insist their twin strategy of air strikes and support for local ground forces is still working despite advances by Isis outside Baghdad and in the Syrian town of Kobani, but concede they will consider calls for additional bombing if requested by the Pentagon.

In the last two days alone, the US has conducted 21 separate air strikes on Isis forces in and around Kobani and recently deployed Apache attack helicopters to repel advances on Baghdad airport.

Yet the latest damage assessment released by the Pentagon on Tuesday focused primarily on damage to Isis “staging locations” and buildings rather than claiming much success against fighters on the ground who are dispersed in urban areas and much harder to target using current tactics.

“I am confident the president would want to reserve that option dependent on the advice he gets from his military planners,” the White House spokesman, Josh Earnest, told reporters when asked whether Obama was willing to escalate the air campaign against Isis.

Chiefs of defence from 20 US military partners are meeting at Andrews air force base outside Washington for a two-day meeting aimed at ensuring “the military capabilities of our partners are integrated and effectuated”.

Obama was due to address the assembled international military brass in a session later on Tuesday amid reports from some air forces involved that they are running out of obvious Isis targets in Iraq and a reticence among others to become dragged into Syria.

Following his meeting with the international defence chiefs Obama stressed that “this is going to be a long-term campaign” during brief remarks to reporters. “There are going to be periods of progress and setbacks,” he added, but insisted the coalition remained united in defeating Isis.

The alliance is under its greatest strain in Turkey, which has met US requests to intervene in Kobani on behalf of Kurdish rebels not just with refusal, but with air strikes aimed instead against Kurdish groups in Turkey.

Turkish fighter jets bombarded Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK) positions in south-eastern Turkey this week for the first time since the start of the peace process between the outlawed group and the Turkish government in 2012.

The attacks on the PKK came in the wake of violent clashes last week between Kurdish factions and security forces in several Turkish cities, as anger grows over perceived government inaction against the Isis attack on Kobani.

According to local media reports, the strikes came in retaliation for armed PKK offensives on several military outposts in the area.

The Turkish chief of general staff said the military “opened fire immediately in retaliation, in the strongest terms” after repeated PKK attacks in the area, and before air strikes were launched.

White House officials were also forced to clarify on Tuesday that talks are ongoing between the US and Turkey over the right to use airbases against Isis and for training purposes.

The national security adviser, Susan Rice, claimed over the weekend that such permission had been obtained but this was later denied by the Turks.

Obama’s approach in Syria and Iraq is under growing criticism in Washington, not just from traditional hawks like John McCain who are calling for US ground troops to be deployed, but also in the media where columnists are increasingly arguing his strategy against Isis has failed.