Inside Story

Targeting ISIL: Is the air campaign working?

People fighting the group on the ground says the aerial bombing campaign is not enough.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is still making territorial gains despite the continuing air attacks by the US-led coalition.

Kurdish fighters in northern Syria say the campaign is having little impact, despite two weeks of bombing.

The US has admitted that the campaign will not be enough to wipe out ISIL. General Martin Dempey, the chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, said there needs to be a ground component to the air campaign.

But the US president, Barack Obama, has ruled out sending ground troops.

What is now seen as a lack of success against ISIL throws into doubt the overall plan to deal with the group.

So, what is next? Is a ground operation the answer? And should the US-led alliance change its tactics?

Presenter: Mike Hanna

Guests:

Haldun Solmazturk – a former brigadier general of the Turkish military.

Matthew Henman – the head of the IHS Jane’s Terrorism and Insurgency Centre.

David Pollock – a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.