U.S. President Barack Obama has announced that the U.S.-led coalition was “intensifying” its efforts against the Islamic State in Syria but cautioned that it will be a “long-term” campaign and it will take time to root out the group.
“This will not be quick. This is a long-term campaign,” Mr. Obama told reporters at the Pentagon after his meeting with the national security team on the challenges being posed by the Islamic State (IS).
He cautioned that as is the case with any military effort, “there will be periods of progress, but there are also going to be some setbacks — as we’ve seen with ISIL’s gains in Ramadi in Iraq and central and southern Syria. But today, it’s also important for us to recognise the progress that’s been made.”
Mr. Obama said IS’s recent losses in both Syria and Iraq prove that IS can and will be defeated.
“Indeed, we’re intensifying our efforts against ISIL’s base in Syria. Our air strikes will continue to target the oil and gas facilities that fund so much of their operations,” he said.
The U.S. strategy, he said, recognises that no amount of military force will end the terror posed by IS unless it is matched by a broader effort, political and economic, that addresses the underlying conditions that have allowed it to gain traction.
“They have filled a void and we have to make sure that, as we push them out, that void is filled,” he said.
