Ruling out US ground troops in a combat role against the Islamic State (IS), President Barack Obama today called on other countries to fight the dreaded terror group that has gained control over a large part of Iraq and Syria and threatens regional peace and stability.
"I want to be clear, the American forces that have been deployed to Iraq do not and will not have a combat mission. They will support Iraqi forces on the ground as they fight for their own country against these terrorists," Obama said in his remarks at Tampa, Florida after meeting with commanders of the US Central Command.
"As your Commander-in-Chief, I will not commit you and the rest of our Armed Forces to fighting another ground war in Iraq. After a decade of massive ground deployments, it is more effective to use our unique capabilities in support of partners on the ground so they can secure their own countries' futures. And that's the only solution that will succeed over the long term," he said in his address to the soldiers.
"We'll use our air power. We will train and equip our partners. We will advise them and we will assist them. We will lead a broad coalition of countries who have a stake in this fight. Because this is not simply America versus ISIL (IS) - this is the people of the region fighting against ISIL. It is the world rejecting the brutality of ISIL in favor of a better future for our children, and our children's children - all of them," he said.
But the US is not going to do this alone, he asserted.
"We are not going to do this alone. And the one thing we have learned is, is that when we do things alone and the countries -- the people of those countries aren't doing it for themselves, as soon as we leave we start getting into the same problems," he said.
"So we've got to do things differently. This is why we've spent the past several weeks building a coalition to aid in these efforts. And because we're leading in the right way, more nations are joining us. Overall, more than 40 countries so far have offered assistance to the broad campaign against ISIL," he said.
"Some nations will assist from the air -- and already France and the United Kingdom are flying with us over Iraq, with others committed to join this effort. Some nations will help us support the forces fighting these terrorists on the ground," Obama said.
"And already Saudi Arabia has agreed to host our efforts to train and equip Syrian opposition forces. Australia and Canada will send military advisors to Iraq. German paratroopers will offer training. Other nations have helped resupply arms and equipment to forces in Iraq, including the Kurdish Pershmerga," said the US president.
Arab nations have agreed to strengthen their support for Iraq's new government and to do their part in all the aspects of the fight against IS.
"Our partners will help to cut off ISIL funding, and gather intelligence, and stem the flow of foreign fighters into and out of the Middle East," he added.
"Meanwhile, nearly 30 nations have helped us with humanitarian relief to help innocent civilians who've been driven from their homes -- whether they are Sunni, or Shia, or Christian, or Yazidi, or any other religious minority," Obama said.
