US Mulls Over Launching Direct Military Action Against Islamic State in Syria

The recent growth of the Islamic State (IS) and the killing of the American journalist James Foley has forced the US government to mull over a  direct military action in Syria against the militant group.

One of the options under consideration is conducting airstrikes in Syria by using fighter jets and bombers. Sending Special Operations Forces into Syria is also under consideration, officials said, according to The New York Times.

The US can also intensify its efforts in training and arming moderate Syrian rebels who are fighting against Isis and the Assad government. The Syrian Kurds who are fighting against the Isis can also be empowered more, officials said. The unmanned drone strikes like the ones US conducted in Yemen, Somalia, and Pakistan can be put to use to target Isis leaders also, officials opine.

President Barack Obama had ordered airstrikes in Iraq to protect US personnel and religious minorities from the Islamic State two weeks ago. He also sanctioned airstrikes to help Iraqi government reclaim Mosul dam from IS. However, sending drones across the border into Syria takes a different dimension as it would be for the job of crippling the militant organization, reports The New York Times.

Ben Rhodes, US Deputy national security adviser, said that borders should not be a restricted in fighting the Isis .

"We're not going to be restricted by borders," he said. "If you come against Americans, we are going to come after you," he said, according to National Post.

The US now is apprehensive about the IS' ability to attack it. The militant group's growing influence in Iraq and Syria in recent months and the brutal murder of US journalist James Foley has  made US regard it as a threat to the country.