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| Official photographic portrait of US President Barack Obama (born 4 August 1961; assumed office 20 January 2009) (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Last night, President Obama ordered American armed forces to begin targeted airstrikes against ISIL targets in Syria. Speaking from the White House South Lawn today before heading to the United Nations General Assembly, the President made it clear that these strikes are part of the U.S. campaign to deliver one message on ISIL: They will find no safe haven.
The U.S. military actions also included strikes to disrupt plotting against the U.S. and our allies by the Khorasan Group -- a cell of seasoned al Qaeda operatives in Syria.
In his statement, the President made clear that the fight against these terrorists "is not America's fight alone":
"The people and governments of the Middle East are rejecting ISIL, and standing up for the peace and security that the people of the world deserve. Not since the Gulf War has the United States been joined in direct military action by such a broad coalition of Arab partners. Meanwhile, we will move forward with our plan -- supported by bipartisan majorities in Congress -- to ramp up our effort to train and equip the Syrian opposition, who are the best counter-weight to ISIL and the Assad regime."
President Obama also previewed his trip to the U.N. General Assembly, where he'll continue building support for the effort against ISIL:
"Over the next several days, I will be meeting Prime Minister Abadi of Iraq and with friends and allies at the United Nations to continue building support for the coalition that is confronting this profound threat to peace security. This overall effort will take time. There are challenges ahead. But we’re going to do what is necessary to take the fight to this terrorist group -- for the security of our country, the region, and the entire world."
