Faster progress needed against Islamic State: Obama

Lately, after the San Bernardino shootings, Barack Obama talked about terrorism more than we were used to, but the White House has resisted calls to escalate the war. But it disappointed those seeking a change of direction.

The president spoke of military undertakings launched during the last several months, including assassinating some of Islamic State’s top leaders and increasing the number of missile strikes in IS-held territory and Libya.

Terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif., that were carried out by or inspired by ISIS have raised new fears about the group’s efforts to create mayhem.

Holt went onto report that “for the second time in just over a week, President Obama argued that his strategy against ISIS is working…in a rare appearance at the Pentagon”.

The coalition is targeting ISIL “with precision”, since ISIL is entrenched in urban areas and using civilians as human shields, he said.

The president said that his administration is continuously reassessing its strategy to combat ISIL, and also in the U.S. homeland against home-grown extremists. Obama said airstrikes had increased and that the coalition had taken out key figures in the group’s leadership “one by one”. It’s a fight, Obama says the U.S.is stepping up from the air…”Last month in November, we dropped more bombs on ISIL targets than any other month since this campaign started”, Obama says.

“We’re only hitting ISIS “harder than ever” because we haven’t been hitting them very hard”. “Since this spring, we’ve removed Abu Sayyaf, one of their top leaders; Haji Mutaz, ISIL’s second in command; Junaid Hussain, a top online recruiter; Mohammed Emwazi, who brutally murdered Americans and others; and in recent weeks, finance chief Abu Saleh; senior extortionist Abu Maryam; and weapons trafficker Abu Rahman al-Tunisi”.

But Republicans were unimpressed by the show of military muscle.

Barack Obama’s comments were succeeded by a discussion with Vice President Joe Biden, four generals and four cabinet secretaries, alongside diplomats, law enforcement officials, intelligence leaders and White House advisers. “Our next message to them is simple, you are next”. “Since this summer, ISIL has not had a single successful major offensive operation on the ground in either Syria or Iraq”.

After the meeting, Obama said the Islamic State has lost thousands of miles in Syria and ground in Iraq.

Obama confirmed that American special forces were now in Syria and were helping local groups squeeze IS’ proclaimed “capital” at Raqqa. “I would call it a political speech because he’s been hammered by his opponents”.

In his eight-minute address from Pentagon, the American president insisted the anti-Isis operations have been “harder than ever”.

As a result, Obama is nearly certain to unleash a new torrent of criticism from Republican lawmakers and presidential hopefuls and make fellow Democrats nervous that he’s not doing enough to eliminate the jihadist group. “He doesn’t have a choice now”.

Meanwhile, he said, Iraqi forces were moving to take Ramadi “encircle Fallujah and cut off ISIL’s supply routes into Mosul”.

“Iraq syndrome is still hanging there”, he said, referring to a hangover from the US invasion and occupation of Iraq, “and the public doesn’t really think that war is going to solve the ISIS problem”. Toughening his tone on the critics, he assured the “thugs, thieves, and killers” will be defeated. Then as now, the topic is the fight against ISIL.