On Wednesday night, President Obama announced the nation’s plan to fight ISIS in Iraq and Syria by stepping up the military efforts of the U.S. Troops. The campaign will be in opposition to the Sunni Jihadists, and will include building an international coalition to support the troops of other allies as well as expanding the airstrikes. The latest Obama speech further outlined that the terrorists who are threatening the country will be hunted down wherever they are, and action against the ISIL will be taken in Iraq and Syria, if necessary.
The president also announced that 475 military advisers of the country will be sent to Iraq for the purpose, increasing the existing number to 1,700. He made it clear that the U.S. troops will not be fighting in a foreign land, and the American government will counter all terrorist threats with a well planned coalition. He further added that the objective of the campaign is to completely degrade and ultimately destroy the ISIS.
An official said that the troops, this time, will not be specific about their targets’ nature and time. To aid with the campaign, Obama has moved $25 million in the form of ammunition, vehicles, arms, and military training to help the forges in Iraq, such as the Kurdish forces fighting the ISIS in the north.
This week, the coalition will be solidified by U.S. diplomatic moves. John Kerry, Secretary of State, encouraged Saudi Arabia and Jordan’s Sunni leaders to join the U.S. troops in combating the ISIS. In addition, homeland security adviser Lisa Monaco and Chuck Hagel, the Defense Secretary, will also join Kerry for support.
Obama also said that even small groups of terrorists have the ability to cause great destruction, as was in the case of 9/11. Gloria Borger, Chief Political Analyst at CNN, said that the speech was not easy for the President to give because he was once campaigning on ending wars with middle east countries like Afghanistan and Iraq.