Compilation Of Battles In Syria On November 20th

Global Terror By The Numbers

French Jets Pound ISIS Capital Of Raqqa

French Jets have begun a bombing ISIS positions in their Syrian Capital of Raqqa. According to sources on the ground in Raqqa there were 10 French jets carrying out the bombing runs and thus far over 30 bombs have been dropped.

Its still unclear if this is an expansion of the french operations in the fight against Raqqa or a retaliation to Friday night's attacks in Paris for which ISIS claimed responsibility.

France does have military assets in the region with them recently moving their aircraft carrier group the Charles Se Gaulle into position to strike targets in Syria and Iraq. It is most likely that French Rafele Jets took off from this air craft carrier to carry out today's strikes on Raqqa.

How To Respond To Paris

This tragedy that has taken place in Paris will take its toll on all of europe and the west. But it will also affect the refugees who are fleeing the violence in the middle east as well as those still living in Syria and Iraq.

There needs to be a coordinated response ASAP on multiple levels. There must be a coordinated response by intelligence agency to step up the collection of human intelligence on the ground in ISIS strongholds as well as across europe. This means some nations will have to set aside their differences in order to efficiently collect intelligence. The western agencies will need to work together with Russian FSB as well as Syrian and Iranian agencies. The Russians may have to act as a surrogate but they all need to make sure that no information is being held back if it regards ISIS.

The refugees need be properly vetted before being embedded in their new western communities. Legitimate refugees should not be turned away but extensive background checks need to be done on every refugee that enters Europe the U.S. and Canada. I believe background checks should go back 10 years in order to verify what these people have been doing prior to fleeing their home countries. Its not a matter of discrimination but a matter of verification.

Militarily we can not allow ISIS to remain comfortable. We must use everything in the power of the coalition to constantly pressure ISIS wherever they are. By allowing them to maintain their semi state status they have the ability and resources to plot and plan attacks globally. If the west is not commited to getting their hands dirty by confronting ISIS directly on the ground then they need to supply groups lile the Kurdish forces with whatever they need in order to continue putting pressure on ISIS at all times. Their vile ideology can't be defeat through military means alone but it is a very important part of the process by denying them safe haven to plot regroup and recruit.