Obama outlines plan for defeating ISIS

U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday (local time) laid out his plan for air campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS), the Sunni jihadist group.

At 9:00 p.m. on the eve of the 13th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks in the United States, Obama delivered a speech to the nation at the White House. "I have made it clear that we will hunt down terrorists who threaten our country, wherever they are," he said. "That means I will not hesitate to take action against ISIL in Syria, as well as Iraq." He called the ISIS the ISIL.

The decision came 33 days after the air strike on the ISIS in Iraq on August 8. The jihadist group has been fiercely resisting the U.S. air strike, having beheaded two American journalists whom they held captive.

"Our objective is clear: We will degrade, and ultimately destroy, ISIL through a comprehensive and sustained counterterrorism strategy," he said. "If you threaten America, you will find no safe haven." He laid out four principles: a systemic campaign of air strikes on the ISIS, increased support to ground forces in the region, drawing on counterterrorism capabilities, and humanitarian assistance to civilians.

He said that the United States has a "broad coalition of partners" joining in the campaign, stressing that the planned air strikes would be conducted by international coalition forces. The White House said that 37 countries and international organizations, including the Arab League, had expressed their support.

Obama made it clear that the U.S. would seek to defeat the ISIS by supporting insurgent ground forces in Syria, not Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whom the U.S. once attempt to oust. "Tonight, I again call on Congress to give us additional authorities and resources to train and equip these fighters. In the fight against ISIL, we cannot rely on an Assad regime that terrorizes its people," he said.

Many observers in the U.S. say that the country could be deeply involved in the Middle East again after the troop withdrawal from Iraq in December 2011. Obama reiterated that no ground troops would be deployed to the region, saying that the upcoming campaign is different from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.