Army Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland said Ted Cruz's plan to carpet bomb the Islamic State is "just inconsistent with our values." | AP Photo U.S. general blasts Cruz’s carpet bombing as 'inconsistent with our values'

The U.S. commander in charge of the military coalition fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria said today carpet bombing the terrorist network would be "inconsistent with our values" - a remark almost certainly aimed at Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz, who has vowed to "carpet bomb them into oblivion."

Army Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland told reporters the United States was "bound by the laws of armed conflict," after being asked to explain why carpet bombing would not be an effective strategy against the Islamic State.


"We're the United States of America. We have a set of guiding principles," he said. "Indiscriminate bombing, where we don't care if we're killing innocents or combatants, is just inconsistent with our values."

He added: "Right now we have the moral high ground, and I think that's where we need to stay."

Carpet bombing denotes indiscriminate attacks targeting a large area, leveling the area as if a carpet had been rolled over it. The tactic was widely used during World War II.

In December, Cruz pledged to "utterly destroy ISIS," as POLITICO reported at the time.

"We will carpet-bomb them into oblivion," the Texas senator said. "I don't know if sand can glow in the dark, but we're going to find out.