Retired General to Lead ISIS Campaign

The White House reportedly has tapped retired Marine Gen. John Allen, a former commander in both Iraq and Afghanistan, to lead President Obama’s just-announced international effort to degrade and ultimately destroy Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria. Allen has a lot of experience working with leaders in the region. He is credited with empowering Sunni tribes in Iraq—offering protection and financial incentives—to help fight al Qaeda. The strategy, which he implemented in 2007, helped quell fighting in some of the country’s most violent areas. Allen has served as an adviser to Secretary of State John Kerry, and has said the United States needs to strike ISIS hard, describing the group as a “clear and present danger to the U.S.”