General Dempsey, head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that if and when he finds that the Islamic State is plotting direct attacks on the US homeland or Europe, then he will recommend that the US take military action against the group in Syria. He also said the group should be constrained and defeated in partnership with US allies in the region, including Turkey, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. The US has carried out 96 airstrikes against the Islamic State so far in Iraq, 62 of which took place near Mosul Dam. The top ISAF commander said that over the past eight months, Coalition bases in Afghanistan have been consolidated from 85 down to 42, and that by early November fewer than 24 bases will still be operating, many of them housing special operations troops.
