U.S. President Barack Obama says the U.S. and its allies will degrade and ultimately defeat the Islamic State, in the same way they have gone after al-Qaida and Somalia's al-Shabab.
Speaking to reporters Friday at the close of the NATO summit in Wales, President Obama said he is confident an international coalition can be formed that can push back the militants, who have seized large amounts of territory in Iraq and Syria.
Obama said NATO members agree unanimously that the Islamic State poses a significant threat to countries within the alliance, and he said they recognize the need to take action.
"I did not get any resistance or pushback to the basic notion that we have a critical role to play in rolling back this savage organization that is causing so much chaos in the region and is harming so many people," said President Obama.
The United States is bringing its allies together in a coalition to combat Islamic State militants in Iraq.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spearheaded the effort Friday on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Wales.
The State Department says 10 countries were represented at the meeting, including the United States, Britain, France and Germany. Australia was the only non-NATO member present.
Kerry reassured the leaders that the U.S. is not talking about sending ground forces into Iraq. He referred to that as a "red line" for everybody, vowing "no boots on the ground." But he said there are many ways the coalition could "train, advise, assist and equip" Iraqi security forces, and others prepared to take on the militants.
Western leaders have said they will not be intimidated by the Islamic State, which has beheaded two American journalists and is threatening to kill a third captive, a Briton, in response to U.S. airstrikes against the militants' positions in Iraq.
Kerry said a "holistic" approach to the Islamic State will require military and humanitarian components, as well as pursuit of the group's financial sources. He indicated the group's presence in Syria must also be addressed.
The secretary of state said the United States is convinced that the international community has the ability to destroy ISIL and must do so, even if it takes years.
Source: Top Stories - Google News - http://ift.tt/1ta9Zzu
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