(VOVworld) – US President Barack Obama announced Wednesday a comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy which expands air strikes against the Islamic State in both Iraq and Syria.
Obama described this effort as different from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan because it will not involve American combat troops fighting on foreign soil, but only air power supported by "partner forces on the ground" like the counterterrorism strategy the US has successfully pursued for years in Yemen and Somalia. He said IS militants have emerged as a threat to the US and its allies.
 |
| President Barack Obama delivers a live televised address to the nation on his plans for military action against the Islamic State. (Photo: Reuters) |
President Obama pledged US support for the Iraqi government including 25 million USD in military aid to Iraq to enhance the capability of government troops and armed forces of the Kurdish autonomous region in northern Iraq to deal with the IS.