WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will outline plans this week for an expanded U.S. campaign to defeat violent Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, a strategy that also will involve cooperation from allies in Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere.
Obama will launch an aggressive effort to build support for his strategy on Capitol Hill and with the American public. He’ll meet with congressional leaders from both parties at the White House on Tuesday, then will deliver a speech detailing his strategy Wednesday.
The president’s address will come on the eve of the 13th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. While U.S. officials say they do not believe the Islamic State has the capacity to carry out that type of attack, the Obama administration sees an urgent need to stop the militants from gaining that ability.
Officials say Obama’s strategy will include military, political and diplomatic efforts.
The U.S. already is launching airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq, and Obama has been considering expanding that effort into Syria, where the militants have a safe haven. The president also is pressing Iraq’s government to fulfill pledges to form a more inclusive government. And he wants Arab nations, particularly Sunni-majority states, to join the West in efforts to confront the Islamic State.
But Obama has ruled out putting U.S. military personnel on the ground in Iraq or Syria in a combat role. Officials say he instead sees U.S. air power as a way to give cover to Iraqi forces and possibly Western-backed rebels in Syria and help them take on the militants.
“This is not going to be an announcement about U.S. ground troops,” he said in a weekend interview with NBC’s “Meet The Press.” He added that the operations will be “similar to the kinds of counterterrorism campaigns” the U.S. has waged in the past.
House Intelligence Committee chairman Mike Rogers, R-Mich., welcomed Obama’s efforts to form an international coalition to join the U.S. in such efforts. He also said Obama needs to engage with lawmakers and the public.
While Obama has promised to coordinate with Congress, he has not said definitively whether he will seek congressional authorization for any military action he will take. He did not seek authorization from lawmakers for the airstrikes the U.S. is currently launching inside Iraq.
