# Fighting ISIS/ISIL/IS: Will the human shields be written off? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 24, 2014, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-isis-isil-is-will-the-human-shields-be-written-off/708121 "2014-12-24T23:18:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-isis-isil-is-will-the-human-shields-be-written-off/708121/1 "2014-12-24T23:18:35Z")
ISIS has allegedly managed to [shoot down an F-16](http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/24/world/meast/syria-isis-shoots-down-warplane/index.html?hpt=hp_t1). Evidence ‘clearly indicates’ ISIS did not, in fact, shoot down the aircraft; but that it came down for another reason. Given the terror group’s track record, I suspect the unfortunate Jordanian pilot will be murdered by his captors. [A journalist visited Raqqa, Deir Ezzor, and Mosul](http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/22/world/meast/inside-isis-juergen-todenhoefer/index.html?hpt=hp_t1). > [@](#): > > “There is an awful sense of normalcy in Mosul,” Todenhoefer said in an exclusive interview with CNN. > > “130,000 Christians have been evicted from the city, the Shia have fled, many people have been murdered and yet the city is functioning and people actually like the stability that the Islamic State has brought them.” > > Nonetheless, he says, there is an air of fear among residents: “Of course many of the them are quite scared, because the punishment for breaking the Islamic State’s strict rules is very severe.” > > \ > > “Slavery absolutely signals progress,” the man said. "Only ignorant people believe that there is no slavery among the Christians and the Jews. Of course there are woman who are forced into prostitution under the worst circumstances. > > “I would say that slavery is a great help to us and we will continue to have slavery and beheadings, it is part of our religion … many slaves have converted to Islam and have then been freed.” ISIS basically has people imprisoned within cities. While people ‘actually like the stability that the Islamic State has brought them’, I doubt they’d be allowed to simply leave if they didn’t. Do you think at some point the coalition will decide to go all ‘Rolling Thunder’/‘Dresden’ on ISIS’s collective ass, sacrificing the human shields and the people who like the stability in order to obliterate the ISIS command locations? I don’t see how they can. The only country capable of doing that is the U.S., and we’re not going to do it, though we could argue that we’re only attacking ISIS targets with smart weapons. But Jordan, for example, has about seven dozen F-16s and F-5s, a couple dozen AH-1 Cobras, and a couple of CASA gunships. Australia, Canada, France, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom have conducted airstrikes against ISIS, and may contribute to a campaign. But recall that the firebombing of Dresden, which killed horrendous numbers of civilians, has been, and continues to be, condemned. Would the coalition rick the condemnation of future historians, and current and future ethicists, in an effort to destroy ISIS? ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2014, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-isis-isil-is-will-the-human-shields-be-written-off/708121/2 "2014-12-25T04:13:03Z")
I don’t know about history, but bombing the heck out of a bunch of civilians would certainly help ISIL and their ilk save on recruitment costs for the next few decades. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2014, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-isis-isil-is-will-the-human-shields-be-written-off/708121/3 "2014-12-25T04:17:16Z")
I didn’t mean to imply that it was a good idea. Just wondering if the coalition or some of its members will ‘snap’.