Obama gets briefed on US fight against ISIL in Iraq, Syria
US President Barack Obama says the fight against the ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq is “not simply a military effort" but "a long-term campaign”.
Obama made the remarks Monday at Pentagon, where he was briefed about the US airstrikes purportedly against ISIL.
"We're intensifying our efforts against ISIL's base in Syria. Our airstrikes will continue to target the oil and gas facilities that fund so much of their operations," said the US president.
US fighter jets, bombers and drones have been conducting airstrikes against ISIL in Iraq since last August. Since September 23, 2014, the US and some of its allies have also been conducting airstrikes inside Syria without any authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate.
Apart from that, Washington has already dispatched thousands of troops to Iraq allegedly to help train and advise Iraqi forces in their fight against the terrorists.
"This larger battle for hearts and minds is going to be a generational struggle," Obama said.
Obama, who was at the Pentagon along with his national security advisers, added that efforts were underway to tackle the online recruitment of new members by the Takfiri group.
Early in January, Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby admitted that there were “credible allegations of civilian casualties" in the US raids.
The US measures against ISIL have so far failed to stop the terror group from advancing.
Controlling parts of Syria, ISIL sent its fighters into neighboring Iraq in June last year and quickly seized large swaths of territory straddling the border between the neighboring countries.
NT/NT
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