Trump suggests NATO should fight Islamic State group

As sustained Republican criticism of Obama's military strategy continues, Trump floats the idea of involving the military alliance he once as described as "obsolete".

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab

01 July, 2016

Trump and other Republicans have severely criticised Obama's military strategy [Getty]

Donald Trump said on Thursday that he would be open to drawing NATO forces into the fight against the Islamic State group if he were to be elected president in November.

Speaking to NBC News, the presumptive Republican presiential nominee gave his suggestions of how NATO could be better used, after having previously called the military alliance "obsolete".

"I like the idea of using NATO [against the IS group] and also neighbours that aren't in NATO and take them out. You gotta take them out," Trump said.

At present, President Obama has relied heavily on airstrikes as the main focus of US military strategy against the IS group.

This has been criticised by the Republican Party, who say that the current commander-in-chief is not doing enough to fight the group.

Earlier this month, Obama's nominee to command US forces in Africa gave a remarkably blunt testimony that suggested that the president's strategy against the IS group was lacking.

Before a Senate committee, Marine Lt. Gen. Thomas Waldhauser said that the militant group was an "imminent threat to the United States," however agreed with when senator commented that the US' military strategy "made no sense".

The US currently supports fighters on the ground with airstrikes in Syria and Iraq against the IS group.

As part of this effort, US military jets have led aerial attacks on the group's Syrian stronghold of Raqqa and supported Iraqi government forces in their fight to unseat IS from Fallujah.

On Wednesday, a series of US-led air raids killed at least 150 IS militants who were driving a convoy of over 260 vehicles out of recently-recaptured Fallujah.

Despite these victories against the group, many fear that IS will go underground once defeated militarily, to continue attacks like those seen in Istanbul on Tuesday.