In fight against ISIL, understand terrorist mind-set: #tellusatoday

President Obama met with generals and national security advisers Monday at the Pentagon about the nation’s strategy against the Islamic State. Comments from Letter to the editor:

Before we contemplate sending 10,000 troops to fight the Islamic State or “carpet bombing” ISIL, there are a few realities to address.

For every combat troop you need support troops to feed, arm, replenish, and provide shelter and medical care for the ones doing the fighting. Setting up these logistics takes time, often months. Putting 10,000 “boots on the ground” would require even more support troops and time to build the required infrastructure. Carpet bombing obliterates areas of enemy troop concentrations and does not discriminate between combatants and civilians, so most of the casualties would be women, children and other non-combatants. Doing both would mean ISIL could kill hundreds to thousands of American troops, and could radicalize even more people in response to indiscriminate killing of civilians.

Listen to the advisers with combat experience rather than politicians with no military experience.

David deCalesta; Crossville, Tenn.

Comments from Facebook are edited for clarity and grammar:

“ISIL leaders cannot hide, and our message to them is simple: You are next,” President Obama said after the meeting. The leaders don’t have to hide because there is always another one to take over the job.

— David Herzstein

The overall plan is to let Arab countries send their troops with our support. History has proved over and over that, unless you are willing to occupy these countries, sending in troops does not work in the Middle East. The heavy-handed tactics of Saddam Hussein and Moammar Gadhafi are the only way to keep the radicals at bay.

— Rick Baker

Unless Obama has a tracking device on every ISIL member and is going to bomb large parts of Syria and Iraq, they will be hiding for decades. One leader gets killed and there are more to take his place!

— Jason Smithville

I know it gives the politicians something to puff up about, but stop making public the details about our strategy and what people being sent over there are going to be tasked with. Being unknown keeps assets alive and capable.

— Garth Hogan

POLICING THE USA: A look at race, justice, media

The fight against ISIL is not like the Vietnam War or World War II. Those wars were fought with the understanding that there would eventually be a surrender. Terrorists don’t surrender. They would rather blow themselves up as long as they take some of us with them. Having a gunfight on the ground with that type of mentality is not smart for us! Fighting from afar with bombing is the better survival game.

— Tony Tone

It’s obvious the president doesn’t have the will or the guts to do what needs to be done.

— Enos Conrack

Do those who criticized Obama have a clue how difficult it is to be in his position? Do you know anything about warfare and how to go about it the correct way? This is not a John Wayne movie. This is reality. Let the experts do their jobs.

— Michael Oldham