Obama’s 4-Point ISIS Strategy Explained in 3 Minutes
Daily Signal Staff /
President Obama addressed the nation Wednesday night in hopes to lay out a strategy to “destroy the terrorist group known as ISIL”—a much anticipated speech after his comments Aug. 28 confirming “we don’t have a strategy yet” to counter the brutal jihadists also called the Islamic State or ISIS. Watch the video above for a full recap of the president’s four-point counterterrorism plan for Iraq and Syria. Read the full transcript.
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1. Airstrikes
“First, we will conduct a systematic campaign of airstrikes against these terrorists. Working with the Iraqi government, we will expand our efforts beyond protecting our own people and humanitarian missions, so that we’re hitting ISIL targets as Iraqi forces go on offense.”
2. Send 475 More Troops to Iraq
“Second, we will increase our support to forces fighting these terrorists on the ground. In June, I deployed several hundred American service members to Iraq to assess how we can best support Iraqi security forces. Now that those teams have completed their work – and Iraq has formed a government – we will send an additional 475 service members to Iraq.”
3. Cut Off Funding to ISIL
“Third, we will continue to draw on our substantial counterterrorism capabilities to prevent ISIL attacks. Working with our partners, we will redouble our efforts to cut off its funding; improve our intelligence; strengthen our defenses; counter its warped ideology; and stem the flow of foreign fighters into – and out of – the Middle East.”
4. Ramp Up Humanitarian Efforts
“Fourth, we will continue providing humanitarian assistance to innocent civilians who have been displaced by this terrorist organization. This includes Sunni and Shiite Muslims who are at grave risk, as well as tens of thousands of Christians and other religious minorities.”
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