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| Obama says he will outline Isis strategy in speech on Wednesday | Obama says he will outline Isis strategy in speech on Wednesday |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| President Barack Obama will lay out a strategy this week to “go on offence” against Islamic State (Isis) by rallying an international coalition behind economic, political and military measures. | President Barack Obama will lay out a strategy this week to “go on offence” against Islamic State (Isis) by rallying an international coalition behind economic, political and military measures. |
| Obama said he will brief congressional leaders on Tuesday and address the nation on Wednesday to explain the administration’s plan to defeat the group which controls swathes of Iraq and Syria. | Obama said he will brief congressional leaders on Tuesday and address the nation on Wednesday to explain the administration’s plan to defeat the group which controls swathes of Iraq and Syria. |
| “I just want the American people to understand the nature of the threat and how we’re going to deal with it and to have confidence that we’ll be able to deal with it,” he told NBC’s Meet the Press in an interview broadcast on Sunday. | “I just want the American people to understand the nature of the threat and how we’re going to deal with it and to have confidence that we’ll be able to deal with it,” he told NBC’s Meet the Press in an interview broadcast on Sunday. |
| Obama said he did not expect to ask Congress for approval to act and restated his opposition to deploying US ground troops, saying the plan would be similar to counter-terrorism campaigns waged over the past six years. | Obama said he did not expect to ask Congress for approval to act and restated his opposition to deploying US ground troops, saying the plan would be similar to counter-terrorism campaigns waged over the past six years. |
| “The notion that the United States should be putting boots on the ground, I think would be a profound mistake. And I want to be very clear and very explicit about that.. This is not going to be an announcement about US ground troops. This is not the equivalent of the Iraq war.” | “The notion that the United States should be putting boots on the ground, I think would be a profound mistake. And I want to be very clear and very explicit about that.. This is not going to be an announcement about US ground troops. This is not the equivalent of the Iraq war.” |
| After months of intelligence gathering, and weeks of securing US personnel in diplomatic missions, “the next phase is now to start going on some offence”. the president said. The US will soon have more than 1,200 ground troops in Iraq assigned to Baghdad and Irbil. | |
| “Over the course of months, we are going to be able to not just blunt the momentum of ISIL,” he said, using an alternative name for the group which recently murdered two American journalists. “We are going to systematically degrade their capabilities. We’re going to shrink the territory that they control. And ultimately we’re going to defeat them.” | “Over the course of months, we are going to be able to not just blunt the momentum of ISIL,” he said, using an alternative name for the group which recently murdered two American journalists. “We are going to systematically degrade their capabilities. We’re going to shrink the territory that they control. And ultimately we’re going to defeat them.” |
| The resolute tone contrasted with his much-criticised comment late last month that the US did not have a strategy. Last week he attended a Nato summit in Wales which debated how to respond to Isis. | The resolute tone contrasted with his much-criticised comment late last month that the US did not have a strategy. Last week he attended a Nato summit in Wales which debated how to respond to Isis. |
| American leadership had assembled a broad-based coalition, said Obama. “We are going to be part of an international coalition, carrying out air strikes in support of work on the ground by Iraqi troops, Kurdish troops. We are going to be helping to put together a plan for them, so that they can start retaking territory that ISIL had taken over.” | American leadership had assembled a broad-based coalition, said Obama. “We are going to be part of an international coalition, carrying out air strikes in support of work on the ground by Iraqi troops, Kurdish troops. We are going to be helping to put together a plan for them, so that they can start retaking territory that ISIL had taken over.” |
| Iraq, which is forming a new government, and Muslim states with Sunni majorities, such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Turkey, would have to “step up” to confront the scourge of Sunni extremism, he said. He expressed hope that moderate Sunni rebels in Syria would confront Islamic State in Syria. | Iraq, which is forming a new government, and Muslim states with Sunni majorities, such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Turkey, would have to “step up” to confront the scourge of Sunni extremism, he said. He expressed hope that moderate Sunni rebels in Syria would confront Islamic State in Syria. |
| Obama said Bashar al-Assad had forfeited legitimacy through brutally oppressing the Syrian people but that the campaign would focus on Islamic State, not Syria’s president. | Obama said Bashar al-Assad had forfeited legitimacy through brutally oppressing the Syrian people but that the campaign would focus on Islamic State, not Syria’s president. |
| Obama referred to political, economic and military elements but did not elaborate, hinting that details would come later in the week when he briefed congressional leaders and addressed the nation. | Obama referred to political, economic and military elements but did not elaborate, hinting that details would come later in the week when he briefed congressional leaders and addressed the nation. |
| “I’m confident that I have the authorization that I need to protect the American people. And I’m always going to do what’s necessary to protect the American people. But I do think it’s important for Congress to understand what the plan is, to have buy in, to debate it.” | “I’m confident that I have the authorization that I need to protect the American people. And I’m always going to do what’s necessary to protect the American people. But I do think it’s important for Congress to understand what the plan is, to have buy in, to debate it.” |
| Obama said his administration had received no intelligence suggesting an immediate threat to the US homeland from Islamic State but said the group could evolve if allowed to amass territory, money and other resources, including European fighters with US visas. | Obama said his administration had received no intelligence suggesting an immediate threat to the US homeland from Islamic State but said the group could evolve if allowed to amass territory, money and other resources, including European fighters with US visas. |
| The interview, Obama’s first extended sit-down since launching airstrikes against in Iraq last month, was a coup for Chuck Todd’s first show as moderator of Meet the Press. | The interview, Obama’s first extended sit-down since launching airstrikes against in Iraq last month, was a coup for Chuck Todd’s first show as moderator of Meet the Press. |
| Obama also defended his announcement on Saturday to delay executive action on immigration reform, and sought to calm concern that west Africa’s ebola epidemic could reach the US. He was deploying US military assets to the region to provide security to health workers to make sure the virus did not spread and mutate, he said. | Obama also defended his announcement on Saturday to delay executive action on immigration reform, and sought to calm concern that west Africa’s ebola epidemic could reach the US. He was deploying US military assets to the region to provide security to health workers to make sure the virus did not spread and mutate, he said. |