The President’s Address about the Islamic State
The problems in Iraq have been a growing concern for the American people and the Obama administration for the last several months. btw has been providing some summary stories on the advance of the group sometimes known as The Islamic State in Syria (ISIS), the Islamic State in Libya (ISIL), or simply The Islamic State. President Obama had recently authorized targeted airstrikes by the U.S. military to hit Islamic State personnel in Iraq.
Journalists Targeted By ISIS
In an effort to send a message to the United States to stop military intervention in Iraq, the terrorist group known as ISIS has recently murdered two American journalists on assignment in Syria–James Foley on August 19 and Steven Sotloff on September 2. In videos graphically depicting the journalists’ death, the terrorists directly address President Obama, saying that as long as missiles continue to strike their people that they will continue to strike ours. Foley, 40, was abducted from an internet café in Syria in November 2012. Sotloff, 31, went missing in August of 2013, but the news was kept secret in an effort to gain his release.
An organization called the Committee to Protect Journalists has reported that 34 journalists world-wide have been killed this year as the result of “dangerous assignment.” The White House responded in a press conference with dismay over the terrible deaths and a commitment to find a way to stop the terrorists.
Announcing a Strategy
On Wednesday night, September 10, President Obama addressed the nation about the problems in Iraq and began an outline of how the United States and its allies will respond to the ISIS threat.
He outlined four main goals for this strategy that is still being developed. First, the airstrikes against the terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria will continue. Other nations will aid in this effort. Second, there will be an increased number of ground forces in the region who are tasked with finding and defeating the ISIL members before more Muslim, Americans, or any other innocents are harmed. The president was careful to point out that the majority of the ground forces should come from Iraq’s own security forces and did not intend this second step to mean a large increase in American military personnel.
Third, the president said that the counterterrorism experts in the United States would partner with regional leaders and troops to find and stop members of the Islamic State. And Fourth, the United States would continue providing humanitarian aid and assistance to the people in the Middle East that have already been driven from their homes by the expansion of ISIL activity.
Examine the summary of the main points of President Obama’s speech by visiting the White House Web site blog post for this announcement.