US President Barack Obama has announced that the coalition are hitting ISIS targets ‘harder than ever’, and will defeat the terror group in Iraq and Syria.
Speaking at the Pentagon after the National Security Council meeting, Obama said ISIS leaders are being killed off one-by-one, and that allies are rooting out terrorists from towns and neighbourhoods.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Obama said: "In recent weeks, we’ve unleashed a new wave of strikes on their lifeline, on their oil infrastructure, destroying hundreds of their tanker trucks, wells and refineries.
"We are hitting ISIS harder than ever. Coalition aircraft, our fighters, bombers and drones, have been increasing the pace of their strikes, nearly 9,000 as of today."
The coalition is mounting strikes against ISIS targets, including fighting positions, bunkers, staging areas, heavy weapons, bomb-making factories, and training camps.
Obama added that ground operations in Iraq and Syria have reclaimed territory, with ISIS losing 40% of the areas it controlled in Iraq and thousands of square miles in Syria.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataUS Defense Secretary Ash Carter is set to depart for the Middle East to secure more military contributions for the fight against ISIS.
US Secretary of State John Kerry will also be travelling to Russia for diplomatic discussions on ending the Syrian civil war.
Thanking the men and women of the military for their service, Obama said: "Because of you, the America that we know and love and cherish is leading the world in this fight. Because of you, I am confident that we are going to prevail."
Image: President Barack Obama speaks to reporters at the Pentagon. Photo: courtesy of DoD / Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Adrian Cadiz.
