President Obama acknowledged shortcomings in the military campaign to eliminate the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, using a high-profile gathering with defense leaders from more than 20 nations to build momentum for the international response to the terror threat.
“There are going to be periods of progress and setbacks,” he said following the meeting at Joint Base Andrews in suburban Maryland, adding that the group of allies was “united in our goal” to defeat the Islamic State.
Joining administration officials at the meeting were defense chiefs from major allies such as Britain and France, but also military leaders from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which were heavily lobbied by U.S. officials to go after the Islamic State.
Thus far, the airstrikes in Iraq and Syria gave had limited success in deterring Islamic State militants, and critics contend that ground troops are needed to push back the terrorist group.
However, in his brief remarks to reporters, Obama said the problem couldn’t be solved through military action alone.
“What we’re also fighting is ideological,” he said, calling for an “alternative vision to those attracted” to the fighting.
Obama is attempting to convince the American public that his administration is making progress in combating the Islamic State but not heading down the path of another messy foreign entanglement like the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But Obama also has acknowledged that the campaign against the Islamic State could last beyond his presidency, ensuring that much of his final time in office would focus on military engagement overseas.
