President Obama
U.S. President Barack Obama speaks about the situation in Iraq from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington June 13, 2014. Reuters

The United States under the Obama administration is readying for a sweeping strike on the Islamic State in the Middle East. The U.S campaign will linger for at least three years with clear phases and targeted results.

The NDTV report, quoting New York Times, said the White House is of the view that it will take a minimum three years to flush out the terrorist army. US President Barack Obama has been assured support from many quarters. The NATO summit in Britain also came handy to the President to reach out to more allies in the anti-terror coalition. Interestingly, the Arab League nations on Monday threw their lot for an open combat against the radical Islamic State extremists.

Syria Phase

The US has already started the air campaign with 145 airstrikes to protect ethnic and religious minorities, besides US assets and personnel. The strikes will accentuate after Iraq forms a more inclusive government and the Iraq army becomes more responsive by way of training, strategy and equipments. The support for Kurdish fighters and support of Sunni tribes will also be leveraged.

Fir the next phase on ISIS, the US is planning the major assault in eastern Syria. That is the toughest and controversial part of the operation. Destroying the Islamic State inside Syria will be a long drawn one and may prolong until the next administration takes over.

Obama to Address Nation

Mr Obama will present his plans in an address to the nation on Wednesday before launching the US offensive against the Islamic state. The address will be to reassure that he is not plunging the US forces into another ground war in Iraq.

In the last week, Mr Obama told NBC that the US will systematically degrade the capabilities of IS and shrink its territory and ultimately defeat them. Indications are that Mr Obama is preparing for something unprecedented. Unlike other anti-terror operations in the past, this time, the Obama administration will play a central role in building the coalition in hitting the Islamic State.

Arab League Support

Supporting more action against the ISIS, the Arab League on Monday called for measures to combat the IS at multiple levels. The organisation also backed the United Nations resolution in August, seeking sanctions on IS fighters and the appeal to countries for adopting tougher measures to combat terrorism. The head of the 22-member Arab League, Nabil Elaraby called the IS threat serious to the existence of Iraq and its neighbours.