Flynn: We Have To Work Constructively with Russia

PRESS RELEASE

Flynn: We Have To Work Constructively with Russia

Nov. 30, 2015 (EIRNS)—In his interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel, former U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency director Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn (ret.) argued that ISIS won’t be defeated without ground troops nor will it be defeated without working closely with Russia. "The sad fact is that we have to put troops on the ground," he said.

"The overall strategy must be to take away Islamic State’s territory, then bring security and stability to facilitate the return of the refugees."

Citing the Balkans stabilization of the 1990s as an operational model, Flynn said that

"we would need a coalition military command structure and, on a political level, the United Nations must be involved. The United States could take one sector, Russia as well and the Europeans another one. The Arabs must be involved in that sort of military operation, as well, and must be part of every sector....

"We have to work constructively with Russia," he went on.

"Whether we like it or not, Russia made a decision to be there (in Syria) and to act militarily. They are there, and this has dramatically changed the dynamic. So you can’t say Russia is bad, they have to go home. It’s not going to happen." The Arabs must be the face of the mission, he said, but "if we catch them financing, if they funnel money to IS, that’s when sanctions and other actions have to kick in."

Separately, Flynn was quoted by the magazine The Week which excerpted an article first published in the New York Times Nov. 18, entitled "The Rise of ISIS." In that article Lt. General Flynn remarked on the now-famous 2012 DIA report which warned of U.S. policy resulting in formation of a jihadi caliphate in Syria and Iraq. "This particular report was one nobody wanted to see. It was disregarded by the White House. It was disregarded by other elements in the intelligence community as a one-off report. Frankly, at the White House, it didn’t meet the narrative." He is also reported in The Week to have spoken to "Berlin Direct" TV program.