NPR: US Air Strikes Kill 1,100 ISIS Fighters, Cost 1 Billion Dollars

[unokitty]

US Air Strikes Kill 1,100 ISIS Fighters, Cost 1 Billion Dollars

Sounds like attrition warfare to me. Whoever runs out of resources first looses.

That is, for some one to win, either the US needs to get tired of spending or ISIS needs to get tired of its fighters dieing.

What's your opinion?
How many more billions does the US need to spend before it gets tired? Or how many more ISIS fighters have to die before ISIS gets tired?

If you believe the former, how many more billions of dollars should the US spend on air strikes? If you believe the later, how many more ISIS Fighters need to die?

Uno

 

[ivwshane]

I'm curious, what's your opinion?

 

[ctbaars]

False dilemma

 

[Engineer]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...pending-terrorist-attacks-are-rising-sharply/

and

http://www.ibtimes.com/14-million-h...ion-911-say-congressional-researchers-1764816

Seems we've been spending like that for over a decade now.

 

[DigDog]

couldnt they just give them 1 million each? i hear blow and hookers cures Islamism almost immediately.

 

[alcoholbob]

That doesn't sound too bad actually, with what ~4,000 insurgents killed a year during the 2nd Iraq War with an annual cost of around 183 billion it cost us nearly 50 million to kill one insurgent back then. Seems a more cost effective version of endless war.

 

[BoomerD]

What kind of communist shit is this?

There are good, patriotic American arms workers who need jobs to pay for X-mas stuff!

Why does the OP hate Americans?

 

[davmat787]

Meh, sounds like money well spent to me. The fight against ISIS isn't war, it's humanitarian. Like putting down mosquitoes to control malaria or something.

How much would have been spent on the military involved during normal peace time stand down and training? They still pay salaries, fire bullets, drop bombs, .etc.

How can we justify previous interventions in Iraq and the area but not engage ISIS? So many different muslim groups are fighting these guys too, and our airpower and intelligence is most welcome.

 

[trenchfoot]

No US military lives lost (that I know of)........so far.

I think that's a huge win for our side:

ISIS KIA: 1,100

USA KIA: 0

Value of keeping our troops alive: PRICELESS

 

[piasabird]

What is the drawback, with one group of Islamic terrorists killing people of another terrorist group? Sounds like that is not even a problem. Sell weapons to both sides and let them have at it.

 

[davmat787]

No US military lives lost (that I know of)........so far.

I think that's a huge win for our side:

ISIS KIA: 1,100

USA KIA: 0

Value of keeping our troops alive: PRICELESS

We lost an F-16 pilot, the plane crashed shortly after takeoff while attempting to return. To me that sounds like a mechanical problem perhaps. Then again, they aren't telling us where he took off from due to political sensitivities of the country.

 

[piasabird]

Now what is that famous quote?

George S. Patton

"No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country."

 

[trenchfoot]

We lost an F-16 pilot, the plane crashed shortly after takeoff while attempting to return. To me that sounds like a mechanical problem perhaps. Then again, they aren't telling us where he took off from due to political sensitivities of the country.

Thanks for the correction.:thumbsup:

RIP Brave Warrior.

 

[TechBoyJK]

Thanks for the correction.:thumbsup:

RIP Brave Warrior.

It was a Jordanian Pilot. So Coalition casualty, not a US casualty. But he's still alive..... for now.

 

[JTsyo]

Also take into account all the attacks aren't aimed at killing ISIS members. Many are targeting their training ground, weapons cache and other infrastructure.

We will degrade, and ultimately destroy, ISIL

 

[Subyman]

Seeing as the entire military costs $700B a year. A $1B war so far doesn't seem that crazy.

 

[Jhhnn]

What was it that Powell said? Something about "you break it, you buy it" iirc.

It's the price of Neocon folly. No do-overs.

 

[Matt1970]

No US military lives lost (that I know of)........so far.

I think that's a huge win for our side:

ISIS KIA: 1,100

USA KIA: 0

Value of keeping our troops alive: PRICELESS

I agree. Money well spent.

 

[Annisman*]

I'd rather spend it on that than the welfare state.

 

[Jhhnn]

I'd rather spend it on that than the welfare state.

The true nature of compassionate conservatism always shines through. Better to kill than to nurture, better to destroy than to build.

 

[bradley]

By preying on their darkest fears, US citizens have been programmed to unconditionally support an often unilateral endless war.

Cost of Afghan war: nearly $1 trillion and climbing
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-N...nearly-1-trillion-and-climbing/7591418669767/

These moving photos of wounded soldiers were taken by Bryan Adams
http://i100.independent.co.uk/artic...oldiers-were-taken-by-bryan-adams--ekVtINzZDx

Well spent indeed.

 

[shady28]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/11/01/binladen.tape/

"All that we have to do is to send two mujahedeen to the furthest point east to raise a piece of cloth on which is written al Qaeda, in order to make generals race there to cause America to suffer human, economic and political losses without their achieving anything of note other than some benefits for their private corporations," bin Laden said.

"So the war went ahead, the death toll rose, the American economy bled, and Bush became embroiled in the swamps of Iraq that threaten his future," bin Laden said.



http://www.policestateusa.com/2014/librarians-gagged-patriot-act/

"WINDSOR, CT — Using the broad powers granted under the USA PATRIOT Act, the FBI demanded that 4 librarians produce private information about library patrons’ reading habits, then used an endless gag order to force them to remain silent about the request for the rest of their lives under penalty of prison time."



So just how sure are we that we're winning this "war"?

 

[davmat787]

It was a Jordanian Pilot. So Coalition casualty, not a US casualty. But he's still alive..... for now.

No, the incident I referred did involve a US a pilot and happened a few weeks earlier, apparently in Jordon. Not trying to be argue but I am sure we can agree that we should be aware of this.

Capt. Will DuBois was not afraid to try anything.

The F-16 pilot, who went by the call sign "Pyro," was an athlete, equestrian and scuba diver, his family said.

"He was the best man I ever knew," DuBois' father William DuBois Sr. said. "He had a short life that was so well-lived. He lived life to the fullest. He was so much more."

DuBois, 30, was killed Nov. 30 when his F-16 crashed shortly after takeoff as he was headed out on a mission in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, the military's battle against Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria.

http://www.airforcetimes.com/story/military/2014/12/06/f16-pilot-killed-middle-east-crash/19895831/

 

[TreVader]

If we assume that ISIS forces consist of some 50,000 fighters. And it costs roughly a million dollars per fighter to kill them, then it should only cost 50 billion and at worst 100 if the military can maintain its efficiency.


$50 Billion is chump change to what we spent on Iraq and Afghanistan.

 

[kage69]

http://www.airforcetimes.com/story/military/2014/12/06/f16-pilot-killed-middle-east-crash/19895831/

I didn't hear about that, now I almost wish I hadn't. I don't know the specifics obviously, but it sounds like Capt. DuBois was trying to spare people on the ground. He most likely could have punched out and saved himself, but maybe thought his Falcon would have plummeted into an area he was trying to avoid. Does anyone know the deal with the crash site?

RIP Capt, and thank you.