Obama Islamic State War Envoy Leaving Post Amid Frustration

Asked if Allen had told colleagues he planned to leave, State Department spokesman Mark Toner did not answer directly, telling reporters that he “remains focused on his duties”.

Allen’s pending departure comes during a hard period for the U.S.-led fight against ISIS, which the Marine Corps commandant, Lt. Gen. Robert Neller, admits is at a “stalemate”.

The coalition was for the first time publicly described as the “Syrian Arab Coalition” by a senior Pentagon official discussing the current USA train-and-equip mission for the Syrian opposition during testimony on Capitol Hill.

BrookingsFor the previous year , General John Allen, who previously served as head of the global military coalition in Afghanistan from 2011 to 2013, has been in charge of coordinating military efforts against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Today, a year after his speech, would be a ideal time to give them to us. He unsuccessfully tried to convince the administration to allow US tactical air control teams to deploy on the ground to help pick targets for air strikes in Iraq. “In the intervening months, we’ve seen remarkable progress in many respects”.

Smoke rises in the distance behind an Islamic State (IS) group flag and banner in northern Iraq on September 11, 2015. The Turks recently launched an offensive not against the jihadists but against Kurdish separatists, who have been important allies to the USA on the ground.

At the present, by some estimates, the Islamic State may control one-third to one-half of Iraq and Syria along with the millions of people who live there; millions more are displaced, intensifying the flood of refugees into Europe.

“Some elements of the right strategy are in place, but several are under-resourced while others are missing”, David Petraeus, the former general and Central Intelligence Agency director, testified Tuesday before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

After originally committing to six months, Allen stayed in the position for an additional six months at the request of US Secretary of State John Kerry.

Allen’s responsibilities will likely fall on his deputy, Ambassador Brett McGurk, until Obama can find a replacement.

News of Allen’s departure adds to a string of embarrassing news items for the White House.

Finding someone to take the job won’t be easy.

“Gen. Allen is someone obviously very familiar to the folks here at the Department of Defense, and he’s done a great job pushing the ball forward in terms of the diplomatic effort in the fight against ISIL and building up a coalition”, Cook said.

While debatable, Team Obama would probably assert that the strategy is “shrinking” the Islamic State’s territory, cutting its capabilities, rocking its leadership and working through an worldwide coalition to fight it.