The key Syrian border city of Kobani will soon fall to ISIS, but that's not a major U.S. concern, several senior U.S. administration officials said.
If Kobani falls, ISIS would control a complete swath of land between its self-declared capital of Raqqa, Syria, and Turkey -- a stretch of more than 100 kilometers (62 miles).
The U.S. officials said the primary goals are not to save Syrian cities and towns, but to go after ISIS' senior leadership, oil refineries and other infrastructure that would curb the terror group's ability to operate -- particularly in Iraq.
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Saving Iraq is a more strategic goal for several reasons, the officials said. First, the United States has a relationship with the Iraqi government. By contrast, the Obama administration wants Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down.
But on Tuesday, a top U.N. official implored world leaders to take action as Syrian Kurdish fighters defending Kobani are dangerously outmatched.
"They have been defending themselves with great courage. But they are now very close to not being able to do so," said Staffan de Mistura, the U.N. special envoy for Syria.
"They are fighting with normal weapons, whereas the ISIS has got tanks and mortars," he said. "The international community needs to defend them. The international community cannot sustain another city falling under ISIS."
The U.S. plan on ISIS
The U.S. goal is to first beat back ISIS in Iraq, then eliminate some of its leadership and resources in Syria, the U.S. administration officials said.
"It's obviously horrific to watch what's going on the ground, but it's important for the United States, for us to also step back and remember our strategic objective as it relates to our efforts and our engagement in Syria," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters.
According to the U.S. administration officials, if all goes as planned, by the time they are ready to turn their attention to Syria, some of the Syrian opposition will be trained enough to tackle ISIS in earnest. The U.S. has been undertaking efforts to arm and train moderate Syrian opposition forces, who are locked in a fight against both ISIS, the al-Assad regime, and a variety of other armed groups.
But training Syrian rebels could take quite a long time.
"It could take years, actually," retired Gen. John Allen said last week. "Expectations need to be managed."
The United States also wants Turkey to do more, the officials said. The administration is urging Turkey to at least fire artillery at ISIS targets across the border.
But the Turkish reluctance, the officials say, is wrapped up in the complex relationship with their own Kurds and the idea that they don't want to help any of the Kurds in any way.
Hundreds of strikes, millions of dollars
The United States and its allies have made at least 271 airstrikes in Iraq and 116 in Syria.
The cost? More than $62 million for just the munitions alone.
The effect? Negligible, some say, particularly in Iraq.
One by one, the cities have fallen like dominoes: Hit, Albu Aytha, Falluja.
And standing from the western outskirts of Baghdad, ISIS is now within pointing distance.
"That's DAIISH right over there," said Iraqi Brig. Gen. Ali Abdel Hussain Kazim, using the Arabic acronym for ISIS.
The militants' proximity to the capital is cause for concern. If ISIS manages to infiltrate and launch attacks in Baghdad or its green zone, the results could be disastrous.
Kazim said ISIS has not been able to move from his position in Anbar province to Baghdad. But another brigadier general said that's not even the biggest threat.
The real danger to the Iraqi capital, Brig. Gen. Mohamed al-Askari said, is from ISIS sympathizers in the city.
"They are a gang," he said. "They deploy among civilians. They disappear into the civilian population and camouflage themselves."
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