President Barack Obama says the US will expand its offensive against Islamic State militants, authorising military airstrikes in Syria.
The declaration intensifies the US effort to confront the extremist group that has overrun parts of Iraq and Syria and recently beheaded two Americans.
In a prime-time address to the nation, Obama said the US would confront Islamic State militants “wherever they exist”.
Obama administration officials were silent on when such strikes could begin, saying they did not want to telegraph such actions.
The administration has already targeted Islamic State forces in Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi government.
But in Syria, the US would have to act without permission from Syrian President Bashar Assad. The US has supported Assad’s ouster and has backed moderate rebel forces.
Saudi Arabia, a crucial US ally in the Middle East, offered to host the training missions, part of Obama’s effort to persuade other nations to join with the US in confronting the militants.
“This is not our fight alone,” Obama declared. “American power can make a decisive difference, but we cannot do for Iraqis what they must do for themselves, nor can we take the place of Arab partners in securing their region.”
“Our objective is clear: We will degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL through a comprehensive and sustained counterterrorism strategy.”
The president adamantly ruled out the prospect of putting American troops in combat roles on the ground in Iraq or Syria.
Even so, Obama’s plans amount to a striking shift for a president who rose to political prominence in part because of his early opposition to the Iraq war.
While in office, he’s steadfastly sought to wind down American military campaigns in the Middle East and avoid new wars – particularly in Syria, a country where the chaos of a lengthy civil war has given the Islamic State space to thrive and move freely across the border with Iraq.
Speaking on the eve of the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks, Obama’s plans also amounted to an admission that years of American-led war in the Middle East have not quelled the terror threat emanating from the region.
While administration officials have said they are not aware of a credible threat of a potential attack by the militants in the US, they say the Islamic State group poses risks to Americans and interests in the region.
Officials are also concerned about the prospect that Westerners, including Americans, who have joined the militant group could return to their home countries to launch attacks.
In recent weeks, the militants have released videos depicting the beheading of two American journalists in Syria.
The violent images appear to have had an impact on a formerly war-weary public, with multiple polls in recent days showing that the majority of Americans support airstrikes in both Iraq and Syria.
