Obama Says Coalition Is in Long-Term Fight Against Militants
Version 0 of 1. WASHINGTON — President Obama on Tuesday predicted “periods of progress and setbacks” in the war against Islamic militants in Iraq and Syria as he sought to demonstrate a unity of purpose during an unusual face-to-face meeting with senior military chiefs from 21 nations. In remarks after a 90-minute session at Andrews Air Force Base, Mr. Obama defended the coalition’s “important success” against the Islamic State, including the defense of the Mosul Dam in Iraq in the summer. But he said the coalition of nations allied against the militants should understand that “this is going to be a long-term campaign.” The president offered his cautionary message even as his strategy to “degrade and ultimately destroy” the Islamic State with an air campaign is coming under increasing attack from critics who say the United States and its coalition partners are losing ground against the enemy. In Syria, the militants continued to make gains in their battle for the town of Kobani, on the border with Turkey, despite a barrage of airstrikes from American and Saudi warplanes on Monday and Tuesday. In Iraq, Islamic State fighters have seized vast parts of Anbar Province and have pushed within about 15 miles of Baghdad. Iraqi Army forces withdrew on Monday from a base near the town of Hit, in Anbar, after an advance by Islamic State fighters. The retreat by the Iraqi Army raised new questions about Mr. Obama’s hopes for an air campaign that would support local ground forces. In a briefing with reporters, Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, defended the president’s approach in the region, saying that there are “specific episodes” in recent months that serve as evidence that the president’s strategy against the Islamic State, sometimes called ISIS or ISIL, is working. But like the president, Mr. Earnest also suggested that success will not be quick or easy in the region, and he urged patience in judging the effort. “I don’t think anybody has sought to leave you or anyone else with the impression that these kinds of airstrikes were going to dramatically reverse the situation on the battlefield overnight,” Mr. Earnest told reporters. “They won’t.” Mr. Earnest also played down concerns about Turkish airstrikes against Kurdish insurgent positions in southeastern Turkey on Monday. Mr. Earnest said that the United States government continued to have conversations with Turkey’s political and military leaders about its role in the fight against the Islamic State. He said a team of American military specialists was in Turkey to continue those talks. “Not only will we continue to be in touch with them on operationalizing the commitments they’ve already made but also having ongoing discussions with them about additional commitments they could make to support this broad international coalition,” Mr. Earnest said. The president’s talk with the foreign military commanders provided a rare venue for Mr. Obama, who usually reserves his public time for meetings with the political leadership of the countries he has persuaded to be part of the military coalition in the region. United States military officials invited their counterparts to what White House aides described as a two-day seminar at the secure Air Force base in Maryland that is better known as the home base of the president’s plane. In addition to the foreign military officers, most of the president’s senior national security advisers also attended. Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel did not attend because they were traveling, officials said. In his brief remarks, Mr. Obama described the fight against the militants in Iraq and Syria as an “ideological” battle that would need to include economic development for the countries involved and the communication of an “alternative vision” to those who would otherwise be attracted to fight for the Islamic State. The all-day gathering began with remarks from Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Lloyd Austin, the head of the military’s Central Command, which is overseeing the armed campaign against the Islamic State. After intelligence and operations briefings from American officers, the participants engaged in a series of discussions, including an assessment of the threat that the Islamic State poses and how the flow of thousands of fighters from around the world has fueled the strife in Syria and Iraq, according to one participant. The uniformed officers who participated were from Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Netherlands, New Zealand, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. |