US president Barack Obama has laid out a new strategy to go on the offensive against the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (Isis), vowing to pursue the militants in Syria, as well as existing military operations in Opec producer Iraq.
Obama, delivering a prime-time address on the eve of the 13th anniversary of al-Qaida's 11 September 2001 attacks, said the US will lead a broad coalition to roll back the Isis threat.
"Our objective is clear: we will degrade, and ultimately destroy" Isis, using a "comprehensive and sustained counter-terrorism strategy."
Obama said he would not hesitate to conduct air strikes in Syria to prevent Isis from finding safe haven there.
The US already has carried out more than 150 air strikes against Isis. But Obama is broadening the US military's stated mission of protecting US citizens and providing humanitarian assistance to include diminishing Isis' military capabilities.
Obama had authorized US air strikes in northern Iraq against Isis in August as its advances threatened the Kurdistan region and its oil fields, where considerable foreign investment has flowed in to develop its energy sector. The UN Security Council has also warned that Isis is using revenues from oil fields and oil installations that it has captured to finance its operations.
As part of a wider strategy, Obama will send an additional 475 US military personnel to train, equip and provide intelligence for Iraqi security and Kurdish forces, bringing to 1,600 the number of US troops deployed to Iraq to confront the threat posed by Isis. US officials have no plans on putting US troops on the ground in Syria. The US also will also try to help Iraq set up national guard units to help Sunni communities "secure their own freedom" from Isis control.
Obama called Isis "a terrorist organization, pure and simple" with no vision "other than the slaughter of all who stand in its way."
Obama reiterated his pledge not to put US ground troops into a combat role in Iraq. He has rejected comparisons with the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, instead likening the action against Isis to counterterrorism campaigns in recent years.
US secretary of state John Kerry, during a visit to Baghdad earlier in the day, said the US and other countries have ruled out putting combat troops on the ground "unless, obviously, something very, very dramatic changed."
Kerry said the plan envisions Iraqi forces on the ground "with an army that will be reconstituted and trained."
The US and nearly 40 other countries are providing military, humanitarian and other assistance in the fight against Isis. US officials have identified 10 countries as part of a "core" coalition, the US, UK, France, Australia, Germany, Canada, Turkey, Italy, Poland and Denmark. Obama has said it is "absolutely critical" that Arab states with Sunni majorities join in the fight.
Obama called Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdel-Aziz today to discuss the efforts to combat Isis. Senior US officials say Saudi Arabia has agreed to host a program to train and equip moderate Syrian rebels.
Saudi Arabia tomorrow will host a meeting to discuss how to combat extremist groups. Members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, as well as officials from Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and the US have been invited. Kerry will attend that meeting, and a senior US official said he will discuss the possibility of the other countries participating in air strikes.
Obama's speech comes two days after new Iraqi prime minister Haidar al-Abadi swore in a new government that Washington hopes will prove more inclusive than that of al-Abadi's predecessor, Nouri al-Maliki.
Al-Abadi, meeting with Kerry in Baghdad, said that while Iraqis are willing to fight the Isis "cancer in Iraq," that the international community has a responsibility to help defend the country from a threat coming across the border from Syria. "We need that bit of international support," al-Abadi said.
Obama, who briefed congressional leaders on his plan yesterday, wants "buy-in" from the US Congress. Obama insisted he already has authority to conduct military operations in Iraq but said he would welcome congressional support to show the world the US is united on this issue. But he is seeking authorization from Congress to arm and train Syrian rebels.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said that if Obama develops a regional strategy, builds a "combat-effective" military coalition and explains how is strategy will defeat Isis "he will have significant congressional support."
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