Obama acknowledges setbacks against Islamic State
By Jim Michaels and David Jackson,
USA TODAY 7:09 p.m. EDT October 14, 2014
WASHINGTON – President Obama acknowledged recent gains by the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, saying Tuesday that the U.S.-led coalition combating the militants with airstrikes will face progress and "periods of setback."
"This is going to be a long-term campaign," he said after meeting with defense officials from 21 nations in the coalition. "There are not quick fixes involved. We're still at the early stages."
The officials gathered at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland amid signs their air campaign has done little to blunt progress by the militants.
In Syria, Kurdish forces are locked in a fierce battle with the militants for control of the city of Kobani on the Turkish border, despite nearly daily coalition strikes aimed at driving the militants away from the besieged city.
Monday and Tuesday, coalition aircraft launched 21 airstrikes around the city in one of the largest barrages in the area, the U.S. Central Command said.
In Iraq, Islamic militants have made gains in Anbar province, west of Baghdad, and have approached within 15 miles of the capital.
Obama said he was concerned about developments in Kobani and Anbar.
"As with any military effort, there will be days of progress, and there are going to be periods of setback," Obama said, "but our coalition is united behind this long-term effort."
Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, said the meeting was not a forum for U.S. officials to ask coalition countries to expand their participation. He said the meeting was designed to determine what partner countries can provide to coordinate the coalition's efforts.
Having so many countries in a coalition is often complicated. "Each one of them has their own national priorities," said Mark Hertling, a retired Army three-star general.
Evidence of that came Monday, when Turkey, which has been reluctant to participate in military operations against the Islamic State, launched airstrikes against Kurdish forces battling the Islamic militants. The reason: Those Kurdish forces have been fighting a decades-long war for independence and are viewed as more of a threat to the Turkish government than the militants on the border.
Thick smoke rises after an airstrike by the U.S.-led coalition in Kobani, Syria, while fighting continued between Syrian Kurds and the Islamic State group Oct. 14.(Photo: Lefteris Pitarakis, AP)
The Obama administration may have to face concerns by others in the coalition who worry about the U.S. commitment to fighting without combat troops. Obama has ruled out deploying ground forces.
Middle East countries in the coalition will bear the brunt of a backlash if the Islamic State prevails, said Michael Rubin, an analyst at the American Enterprise Institute. The coalition includes Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and other countries in the region.
"We're not going to convince them to do more until they see we are in it to win," Rubin said.
The Pentagon said airstrikes helped drive militants from Mosul Dam in northern Iraq and protected Irbil, the capital of Iraq's Kurdish region. Iraqi forces were able to take back Amerli and Sinjar, Iraqi towns that had been overrun by the militants.
Warren said it was "premature" to draw broad conclusions about the effectiveness of the campaign.
"There will be ebbs and flows across the battlefield for months," he said.
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