President Barack Obama says the USA and its allies are stepping up the fight against the Islamic State group. The U.S. has increased its bombing of Islamic State oil infrastructure and will continue to train and equip moderate rebels in Iraq and Syria. But Congressional authorization for the use of military force would create a more durable frameworkfor carrying out the current mission against the Islamic State and fighting terrorism more broadly.
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Facing questions about his leadership and strategy, Mr. Obama harnessed the highest trappings of U.S. power to calm a country put on edge by a rampage in California that killed 14 Americans. A Facebook official said the post came about the time the couple stormed the San Bernardino social service center.
As concerned as Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney is about rhetoric, he is still passionately urging citizens if they see something suspicious to say something.
It can’t be said enough that America is not at war with Islam and that the vast, vast majority of Muslims in America oppose the jihadists.
That points up the greatest danger from ISIL – that Americans, acting from fright, will increase intrusive surveillance of all Americans or target Muslim Americans in ways that would undermine American values.
But the broader truth is nevertheless hard to miss: Republicans excel in whining about the White House policy, but they’re far less adept at presenting alternatives to Obama’s agenda. He called on Congress to close a loophole that allows those on the terrorist no-fly list to qualify for gun permits – something they failed to do when they had a chance last week. “But the fact is that our intelligence and law enforcement agencies – no matter how effective they are – can not identify every would-be mass shooter, whether that individual is motivated by ISIL or some other hateful ideology”.
Obama stressed that the security of the nation remains strong, despite the real threat of terrorism. Hours before he spoke, Hillary Clinton – his former secretary of state and the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination – said the U.S.is “not winning” the fight against IS. While he didn’t unveil new initiatives, Obama called on Americans to reject the impulse to take actions based on fear.
“But it is clear that the two of them had gone down the dark path of radicalisation, embracing a perverted interpretation of Islam that calls for war against America and the West. They had stockpiled assault weapons, ammunition, and pipe bombs”.
Instead, Obama compared the mass killing to attacks in Chattanooga, Tennessee; Fort Hood, Texas; and Boston, where, he said, “terrorists turned to less complicated acts of violence” and where the Internet erased “the distance between countries”. The U.S. will accept 85,000 people in 2016 and 100,000 in 2017.
Obama is scheduled to speak to the nation at 8 p.m. EST.
After more than a year of an indecisive military campaign, ISIS maintains its sanctuaries in Iraq and Syria to conduct and inspire attacks like Paris and San Bernardino, he said.
In outlining his larger plan to defeat ISIL, President Obama also delivered one of his most powerful denunciations of Islamophobia. Obama stands little chance of getting the Republican-led Congress to agree to any gun control measures. “The threat from terrorism is real, but we will overcome it”, he declared. He’s not expected to announce major policy changes.
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With files from the Associated Press.
