At a press conference Monday from the G20 summit in Antalya, Turkey, President Barack Obama defended his administration’s strategy to fight the Islamic State group after it claimed responsibility for Friday’s attacks in Paris that left 129 dead and hundreds wounded. The G-20 leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, pledged to redouble efforts to cut off financing for terror groups and disrupt recruitment efforts.
Advertisement
A manhunt is underway in Europe for the suspects behind Friday’s coordinated terrorist attacks in Paris.
But Obama accused his critics of failing to explain what ground forces would do once they had retaken territory controlled by Isis and suggested the strategy could be a slippery slope toward the USA occupation of other countries such as Yemen and Libya.
Obama challenged his critics, saying if they want to “pop off”, they should present a specific plan. “I’m too busy for that”.
At one point the USA commander in chief also appeared glassy-eyed and upset as he described the burden placed on American troops and their families of repeated overseas intervention.
“I think, unfortunately, this is a president that I don’t fully understand a lot of the things he says or does”, the Florida senator said on the “Hannity” radio show on Wednesday.
“Some of those are people I’ve ordered into battle”, he said. “I don’t think this is a game of ‘Risk.’ I don’t think it should be politicians moving armies about”.
ISIS is a global threat. No doubt, Parisians maintain no illusions that ISIS has been contained within the former borders of Syria and Iraq. “And the more we shrink that territory, the less they can pretend that they are somehow a functioning state”.
“Our goals here have to be aggressive… but also recognise this is not conventional warfare”.
“We play into the Isil (Isis) narrative when we act as if they are a state and we use routine military tactics that are created to fight a state that is attacking another state”. Obama said those behind the attack are “killers with fantasies of glory” who are savvy with social media.
In a stinging rebuke, the president condemned Republicans who have suggested USA assistance to refugees fleeing the Middle East should focus on Christians, not Muslims.
“That’s shameful”, Obama declared. It’s the closing of hearts and minds.
He has also called on Obama to consult with military leaders to figure out how to defeat ISIS and then enact that strategy, but he has not directly offered a plan beyond the need for USA leadership in the region. “The values we are fighting against ISIL for is that we don’t discriminate against people due to their faith”.
While Obama will undoubtedly be pressured to do more by those who envision a different strategy or who perhaps are looking for a political advantage in the 2016 presidential elections, the United States must insist it not shoulder all of the burden. They are the most vulnerable as a effect of civil war and strife. He added that the USA has a “very careful vetting process” for all Syrian refugees.
Advertisement
However, he said the United States would intensify its efforts against the militants. But the strategy that we are putting forward is the strategy that ultimately is going to work. “But…it is going to take time”. Officials said the US was already using intelligence to help France identify targets for the airstrikes. However, military experts have said since the air strikes began in 2014 that the campaign needs a few ground troops if it’s to be fully effective.
