Press TV
October 16, 2014
Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group arrives in Middle East
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The Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group arrived Wednesday in the Middle East to replace the George H.W. Bush, which has been heavily engaged in the bombing campaign against ISIL militants in Iraq and Syria.
The strike group consists of aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, along with the guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill, the guided-missile destroyers USS Gridley, USS Sterett, and USS Dewey, according to Stars and Stripes.
Warplanes from the Bush aircraft carrier have been bombing ISIL targets since August 8.
The US-led coalition began conducting airstrikes on ISIL terrorists in August, after they seized large swaths of western Iraq and threatened to move onto Baghdad. Last month, the military campaign was extended to Syria.
“The US is deploying a carrier strike group which probably includes dozens of bombers and advanced multi-role combat aircraft which are being used in the bombing in Iraq and presumably within Syria as well,” said Rick Rozoff, manager of Stop NATO International Network.
“This is simply another exemplification of the US’s willingness and ability to deploy lethal force around the world with or without the permission of the affected countries,” he told Press TV Thursday.
“It’s hard for me to believe that the government in Baghdad, certainly not that in Damascus, has been consulted about the transfer and rotation of US aircraft carrier strike groups in the area, nor are the affected governments in Iraq and Syria necessarily even consulted about where the strikes are and against whom,” Rozoff noted.
“So the US acts in a rather arbitrary manner.”
President Barack Obama has ruled out the possibility of American boots on the ground in Iraq or Syria. However, top military officials say the president might eventually be forced to send US troops into combat.
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