White House chaos jeopardizes war on ISIS, U.S. commanders warn

“We’re on the two-yard line,” one U.S. special forces commander told NBC News. “We’re that close and now it’s coming apart.”

KOBANI, Syria — The secret military base here is the epicenter of a four-year-old U.S.-led war against the Islamic State that American commanders say has succeeded in killing nearly 65,000 fighters.

But just as the terrorist group looks to be on the brink of defeat, senior officials worry that their efforts will be wasted.

Some U.S. commanders say what they perceive as a lack of guidance from the White House — which sent Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster packing in a 9-day span — is threatening their mission to destroy ISIS. Cracks are showing in America's alliance with the Kurds of northern Syria, who question whether they can rely on the U.S. under President Donald Trump.

"We’re on the two-yard line. We could literally fall into the end zone. We’re that close to total victory, to wiping out the ISIS caliphate in Syria,” one U.S. special forces commander told NBC News. “We’re that close and now it’s coming apart.”

More than a half-dozen senior officials interviewed by NBC News shared the commander’s views.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/white-house-chaos-jeopardizes-war-isis-u-s-commanders-warn-n859966