Obama Outlines Plan To Defeat Islamic State
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- President Barack H. Obama announced Wednesday evening that the U.S. will lead a broad coalition going after ISIS, a group the CIA director calls "evil incarnate."
Meghan McCorkell reports.
Their reign of terror has spread across the Middle East. Now, Obama is stepping up the military fight against ISIS.
"Our objective is clear -- we will degrade and ultimately destroy ISIS through a comprehensive and sustained counter-terrorism strategy," Obama said.
The U.S. has already carried out more than 150 airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq.
The president will expand those strikes to include targets in Syria -- a stronghold of the terror group.
He's calling on Congress to sign off on a program to train and arm Syrian rebels that are already fighting against ISIS.
"Working with our partners we will redouble our efforts to cut off its funding, improve our intelligence, strengthen our defense, counter its warped ideology and stem the flow of foreign fighters into and out of the Middle East," Obama said.
In an interview with CBS Evening News, CIA Director John Brennan said the U.S. has the resources to destroy the terror group.
"I think we certainly have the determination and now we have the agreement of a number of partners worldwide to work together to crush ISIS," Brennan said.
Critics including former Vice President Dick Cheney say the President needs to be more aggressive.
"We should have immediately hit them in their sanctuary, staging areas, command centers and lines of communication -- wherever we find them," Cheney said.
The White House is now vowing to hunt down the terrorists, wherever they are.
Nearly 500 more U.S. troops will be dispatched to the Middle East to assist Iraqi security forces.
The President stresses they will not be used in a combat role.
