Obama Authorizes Airstrikes in Syria Against the Islamic State
President Barack Obama authorized U.S. airstrikes inside Syria for the first time on Wednesday.
Addressing the nation from the White House on the eve of the 13th anniversary of 9/11 attacks, Obama said that he would pursue the Islamic State militants wherever they are and will destroy them eventually.
"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," he said, reports the Associated Press.
Obama said that the airstrikes in Syria coupled with prolonged strikes in Iraq are part of a steady and persistent effort to destroy the Islamic State.
He also urged the Congress to sanction $500 million to train and equip moderate Syrian rebels.
While 500 more troops will be sent to Iraq in order to advise and assist the Iraqi army, U.S. combat troops would not be send to the Middle East as part of the plan to destroy Islamic State militants, Obama said, reports AP.
Though House Speaker John Boehner praised Obama for acknowledging that the Islamic State militants pose a great danger, he said that the president took a long time to understand this.
"He has finally begun to make the case the nation has needed him to make for quite some time: that destroying this terrorist threat requires decisive action and must be the highest priority for the United States and other nations of the free world," Boehner said.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has agreed to host a training program for Syrian rebels by the U.S. forces. The Saudi decision has come after President Obama spoke with Saudi King Abdullah over phone early Wednesday, reports Reuters.
However, the training program will materialize only if the Congress sanctions $500 million for training the rebels.
