Obama Declares War against Islamic State, Authorises Airstrikes in Iraq & Syria

U.S. President Barack Obama authorised a mission against Islamic State militants. The mission will include air strikes in Syria, Iraq and "wherever they exist."

Obama announced in his televised address on prime-time TV that around 500 U.S. troops would be dispatched to the Middle-East to help the countries suffering from the insurgency. He also asked Congress to authorise a programme which would coach and provide arms to the Syrian rebels who had been fighting against Bashar Assad, the Syrian President, and the Islamic State. According to Al Jazeera, the training mission will be hosted by Saudi Arabia, one of the most significant allies of America in the programme.

The U.S. president vowed to eliminate Islamic State militants by using his air power. At the same time, he asked for help from every other country in the world to back the "steady and relentless" campaign against the militant group. Obama, on the other hand, emphasised that the war against the Islamic State would be different from what the U.S. forces faced in Afghanistan and Iraq, NBC News reported. He compared the mission with those of Somalia and Yemen, where U.S. troops had engaged in targeted strikes to eliminate native terrorists in those countries.

Obama referred to Operation Neptune Spear, one of America's most significant missions overseas that eliminated Osama bin Laden. He indicated that the Islamic State would be the next one to be wiped out in the hands of U.S. soldiers. The U.S. president's message to the Islamic State on the eve of 9/11 seemed pretty clear. "I have made it clear that we will hunt down terrorists who threaten our country, wherever they are," Obama said. "This is a core principle of my presidency: If you threaten America, you will find no safe haven."

Obama stressed that the U.S. government would need international cooperation in its mission. He asked Arab nations to mobilise Sunnis in the Middle East to counter the Islamic State militants. "We stand with people who fight for their own freedom, and we rally other nations on behalf of our common security and common humanity," he said.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au