Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Obama: 'We will not be intimidated' by ISIS

◼ President Obama on Wednesday pledged that the U.S. would “degrade and destroy” the Islamist terrorist group responsible for the beheading of two American journalists, saying the U.S. was “repulsed” by the slayings - The Hill
"We will not be intimidated," Obama said during a joint press conference in Estonia. "Their horrific acts only unite us as a country and stiffen our resolve to take the fight against these terrorists. And those who make the mistake of harming Americans will learn that we will not forget, and that our reach is long and that justice will be served."
The president’s comments came the morning after the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) released a video depicting the beheading of American journalist Steven Sotloff, and two weeks after the terror group released a video similarly depicting the death of American journalist James Foley.

“Whatever these murderers think they'll achieve by killing innocent Americans like Steven, they have already failed," Obama said, pledging an international effort against the "the kind of barbaric and empty vision that [ISIS] represents."

The president said the effort against ISIS would "take some time but it is going to get done," but vowed to make sure ISIS was “no longer a threat to Iraq, the region and United States.”

"Our objective is to make sure the ISIL is not an ongoing threat to the region. We can accomplish that,” Obama said, using an alternate acronym for the group.

Separately, the White House on Wednesday confirmed that U.S. intelligence had deemed the video showing Sotloff's beheading to be authentic.
◼ Obama’s use of ISIL reveals his true allegiance, and animus towards Israel - Allen West
◼ Obama: ISIS a 'Manageable Problem,' If 'International Community' Comes Together - Daniel Halper/Weekly Standard
"We know that if we are joined by the international community, we can continue to shrink ISILl's sphere of influence, its effectiveness, its financing, its military capabilities to the point where it is a manageable problem," said Obama.

"And the question is going to be making sure we've got the right strategy but also making sure we've got the international will to do it. This is something that is a continuation of a problem we've seen certainly since 9/11, but before and it continues to metastasize in different ways. And what we've got to do is make sure that we are organizing the Arab world, the Middle East, the Muslim world, along with the internationl community to isolate this cancer."






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