Obama to outline strategy for targeting Islamic State

On Wednesday, US President Barack Obama will outline his strategy for targeting Islamic State (IS) – the extremist group currently taking over large parts of Syria and northern Iraq. 

 

"I'm preparing the country to make sure that we deal with a threat from Isil,” he said on NBC's Meet the Press. "On Wednesday, I'll make a speech and describe what our game plan's going to be going forward.”

 

He added that he would “start going on some offense” against IS, and that the US would “defeat” the extremist group by degrading it and shrinking its territory.  

 

"This is not the equivalent of the Iraq war. What this is, is similar to the kinds of counterterrorism campaigns that we've been engaging in consistently over the last five, six, seven years.”

 

Obama's comments came directly after a Nato summit in Wales, where the parties agreed to take on IS. He said that the strategy would be carried out by an international coalition.

 

Last month, the President was criticised for saying that he did not yet have a strategy. 

 

The US expanded its anti-IS operations today by conducting air strikes in Western Iraq for the first time. This is a sign that Washington is going against its original requirement for Iraq to form a new, inclusive government before conducting air strikes in all areas.