Obama calls extra Iraq troop "new phase"
ROUGH CUT - NO REPORTER NARRATION
STORY: U.S. President Barack Obama said his decision to double the number of U.S. military advisers in Iraq marked a new phase in the campaign against Islamic State and was not an indication his strategy in the region had failed.
"What it signals is a new phase," Obama said. "This is an extreme group of the sort we haven't seen before, but it also combines terrorist tactics with on the ground capabilities, in part because they incorporate a lot of Saddam Hussein's old military commanders. And this is a threat that we are committed not only to degrade, but ultimately destroy. It's going to take some time."
Obama, in an interview on CBS' "Face the Nation" broadcast on Sunday, said the first phase was getting an Iraqi government in place that was inclusive and credible.
He said sending in 1,500 additional American troops also signified a shift from a defensive strategy to an offensive one. The decision was announced on Friday.
STORY: U.S. President Barack Obama said his decision to double the number of U.S. military advisers in Iraq marked a new phase in the campaign against Islamic State and was not an indication his strategy in the region had failed.
"What it signals is a new phase," Obama said. "This is an extreme group of the sort we haven't seen before, but it also combines terrorist tactics with on the ground capabilities, in part because they incorporate a lot of Saddam Hussein's old military commanders. And this is a threat that we are committed not only to degrade, but ultimately destroy. It's going to take some time."
Obama, in an interview on CBS' "Face the Nation" broadcast on Sunday, said the first phase was getting an Iraqi government in place that was inclusive and credible.
He said sending in 1,500 additional American troops also signified a shift from a defensive strategy to an offensive one. The decision was announced on Friday.
Category
🗞
News