OTTAWA — Retired U.S. general David Petraeus, the architect of the 2007 U.S. surge in Iraq, says the current U.S.-led coalition there, which includes Canadian fighter jets, has “halted” the momentum of the Islamic State.
Though he ruled out any future need for Western ground troops, Petraeus says a Western victory over the Islamic extremists in Iraq and Syria could take years.
Petraeus offered that view in Ottawa on Wednesday where he had come to speak about a U.S. think-tank report he co-authored about Canada-U.S.-Mexico relations.
Petraeus says the North American continent looks to be headed for energy self sufficiency, which he said could have enormous geopolitical implications.
Petraeus is now the chairman of a major global investment firm.
He is also a former director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.