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Obama, After Airstrikes in Syria, Says U.S. Will ‘Take the Fight’ to ISIS Obama, After Airstrikes in Syria, Says U.S. Will ‘Take the Fight’ to ISIS
(about 1 hour later)
WASHINGTON — President Obama on Tuesday hailed the American-led coalition that conducted airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria on Monday night, declaring, “We’re going to do what is necessary to take the fight to this terrorist group.”WASHINGTON — President Obama on Tuesday hailed the American-led coalition that conducted airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria on Monday night, declaring, “We’re going to do what is necessary to take the fight to this terrorist group.”
Speaking on the South Lawn of the White House just before leaving for New York City to attend the United Nations General Assembly, Mr. Obama emphasized that the extensive operation had included Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain.Speaking on the South Lawn of the White House just before leaving for New York City to attend the United Nations General Assembly, Mr. Obama emphasized that the extensive operation had included Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain.
“America is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with these nations on behalf of our common security,” Mr. Obama said. “The strength of this coalition makes clear to the world that this is not just America’s fight alone.”“America is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with these nations on behalf of our common security,” Mr. Obama said. “The strength of this coalition makes clear to the world that this is not just America’s fight alone.”
The president said American planes had also struck targets of another militant group, Khorasan, declaring that there would be “no safe haven” for the Al Qaeda-linked group, which officials say has been plotting attacks against Americans. The president said American planes had also struck targets of another militant group, Khorasan, declaring that there would be “no safe haven” for the Qaeda-linked group, which officials say has been plotting attacks against Americans.
The expansion of military action to Syria, as leaders of 180 countries are gathering at the United Nations, is likely to galvanize a meeting that was already going to be dominated by Mr. Obama’s efforts to build a coalition for the fight against the Islamic State.The expansion of military action to Syria, as leaders of 180 countries are gathering at the United Nations, is likely to galvanize a meeting that was already going to be dominated by Mr. Obama’s efforts to build a coalition for the fight against the Islamic State.
Mr. Obama said he would meet with leaders from several countries in an effort to “cut off ISIL’s financing, to counter its hateful ideology, and to stop the flow of fighters into the region.”Mr. Obama said he would meet with leaders from several countries in an effort to “cut off ISIL’s financing, to counter its hateful ideology, and to stop the flow of fighters into the region.”
The participation of five Arab countries in the operation will bolster the president’s argument that this campaign does not pit the United States against the Sunni Muslim world, but rather a broad coalition of Sunni Muslim countries against a Sunni extremist group.The participation of five Arab countries in the operation will bolster the president’s argument that this campaign does not pit the United States against the Sunni Muslim world, but rather a broad coalition of Sunni Muslim countries against a Sunni extremist group.
The attacks were said to have scattered the jihadist forces and damaged the network of facilities they have built in Syria that helped fuel the group’s seizure of a large part of Iraq this year.The attacks were said to have scattered the jihadist forces and damaged the network of facilities they have built in Syria that helped fuel the group’s seizure of a large part of Iraq this year.
Separate from the attacks on the Islamic State, the United States Central Command, or Centcom, said that American forces acting alone “took action” against “a network of seasoned Al Qaeda veterans” from the Khorasan group in Syria to disrupt “imminent attack planning against the United States and Western interests.”Separate from the attacks on the Islamic State, the United States Central Command, or Centcom, said that American forces acting alone “took action” against “a network of seasoned Al Qaeda veterans” from the Khorasan group in Syria to disrupt “imminent attack planning against the United States and Western interests.”
Officials did not reveal where or when such attacks might take place.Officials did not reveal where or when such attacks might take place.
Al Qaeda cut ties with the Islamic State earlier this year because the group’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, disobeyed orders from Al Qaeda to fight only in Iraq. Just days ago, American officials said the Khorasan group, led by a shadowy figure who was once in Osama bin Laden’s inner circle, had emerged in the past year as the Syria-based cell most intent on launching a terrorist attack on the United States or on its installations overseas. Al Qaeda cut ties with the Islamic State this year because the group’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, disobeyed orders from Al Qaeda to fight only in Iraq. Just days ago, American officials said the Khorasan group, led by a shadowy figure who was once in Osama bin Laden’s inner circle, had emerged in the past year as the Syria-based cell most intent on launching a terrorist attack on the United States or on its installations overseas.
The White House said it had for some time been tracking a plot by Khorasan to conduct a terrorist attack in the United States, and that the planning had reached an “imminent” stage, Benjamin J. Rhodes, a deputy national security adviser, told reporters on Air Force One as the president was flying to New York.The White House said it had for some time been tracking a plot by Khorasan to conduct a terrorist attack in the United States, and that the planning had reached an “imminent” stage, Benjamin J. Rhodes, a deputy national security adviser, told reporters on Air Force One as the president was flying to New York.
Mr. Rhodes said the United States had informed the Syrian government in advance of the airstrikes in recent days, though he emphasized there was no coordination with the government of President Bashar al-Assad and no advance warning on the timing or targets of specific strikes.Mr. Rhodes said the United States had informed the Syrian government in advance of the airstrikes in recent days, though he emphasized there was no coordination with the government of President Bashar al-Assad and no advance warning on the timing or targets of specific strikes.
The notification was relayed by the American ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, to her Syrian counterpart. Mr. Rhodes did not characterize the Syrian response, and he reiterated that there would be no coordination on future strikes. “In fact, we warned them to not pose a threat to our aircraft,” he said.The notification was relayed by the American ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, to her Syrian counterpart. Mr. Rhodes did not characterize the Syrian response, and he reiterated that there would be no coordination on future strikes. “In fact, we warned them to not pose a threat to our aircraft,” he said.
Mr. Rhodes said the president authorized the strikes last Thursday, the day after he visited the headquarters of the United States Central Command in Tampa, Fla., which is running the operation. The timing, he said, was dictated by military planners and the readiness of other members of the coalition, rather than by diplomacy at the United Nations.Mr. Rhodes said the president authorized the strikes last Thursday, the day after he visited the headquarters of the United States Central Command in Tampa, Fla., which is running the operation. The timing, he said, was dictated by military planners and the readiness of other members of the coalition, rather than by diplomacy at the United Nations.
The latest campaign opened with multiple strikes before dawn that focused on the Islamic State’s de facto capital, the city of Raqqa, and on its bases in the surrounding countryside. Other strikes hit in the provinces of Deir al-Zour and Hasaka, whose oil wells the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, have exploited to finance its operations. Pentagon officials characterized the offensive in Syria as “very successful,” and Rear Adm. John F. Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, said on Tuesday morning that the strikes were “only the beginning” of a sustained campaign to destroy the Islamic State.
The extent of the damage caused by the strikes remained unclear. Centcom said the wave of fighter planes, bombers, drones and cruise missiles struck 14 targets linked to the Islamic State. Defense officials said that the airstrikes began at midnight local time with the launching of some 40 Tomahawk cruise missiles from the destroyer Arleigh Burke at positions held in Aleppo by the Qaeda-linked group, Khorasan. The majority of the cruise missile attacks were on Khorasan near Aleppo, but some were also launched at Islamic State targets around the Sunni militant headquarters in Raqqa.
“All aircraft safely exited the strike areas,” the statement said. That first stage of the attack was conducted only by the United States. The second stage began soon after, and American warplanes were joined by fighters and bombers from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Jordan, to target Islamic State compounds, barracks and vehicles in northern Syria.
Almost 50 cruise missiles were launched from two American vessels in the Red Sea and the north of the Persian Gulf, it said, adding that four other attacks were launched on militant targets in Iraq in the same period, bringing the total there to 194. A third wave — which also included Arab countries — targeted Islamic State positions in Eastern Syria, Defense Department officials said. A senior military official said that during the three waves of strikes, the United States and its Arab allies dropped as many bombs in one night as the United States had during all of its previous operations against the Islamic State in Iraq.
The intensity and scale of the strikes were greater than those launched by the United States in Iraq, where it has been bombing select Islamic State targets for months. The air campaign also marks the biggest direct military intervention in Syria since the crisis began more than three years ago. During a news conference at the Pentagon, military officials showed before-and-after photographs and video of the targets hit in Syria. In one case, the military bombed what officials said was an Islamic State finance center in Raqqa, targeting and destroying electronic and communications equipment on the roof while leaving the rest of the building intact.
Centcom identified the Arab states participating in the campaign as Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Their participation is seen as important to limit criticisms that the United States is waging war alone against Muslims. But their role varied between support for the strikes and participation, the military said. In another instance, American F-22 fighters targeted an Islamic State command-and-control building, hitting one side of the building, which Defense officials said the Sunni militants were using for communications, storing weapons, and meetings, while leaving the rest of the structure intact.
The Jordanian Army said on Tuesday that it had carried out airstrikes against “terrorist groups” that were plotting to attack Jordan, according to Reuters. Lt. General William Mayville, director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that the strikes were the beginning of a “credible and sustainable” campaign to destroy the Islamic State. He and other Defense officials said that the hope was to limit civilian collateral damage by using precision strikes.
The intensity and scale of the strikes were greater than those launched by the United States in Iraq, where warplanes have been bombing select Islamic State targets for months. The air campaign also marks the biggest direct military intervention in Syria since the crisis began more than three years ago.
In intervening in Syria, the United States is injecting its military might into a brutal civil war between the government of President Bashar al-Assad, the Islamic State and a range of rebel groups that originally took up arms to fight Mr. Assad but have also come to oppose the Islamic State.In intervening in Syria, the United States is injecting its military might into a brutal civil war between the government of President Bashar al-Assad, the Islamic State and a range of rebel groups that originally took up arms to fight Mr. Assad but have also come to oppose the Islamic State.
It was unclear what effect the American-led strikes would have on the larger conflict.It was unclear what effect the American-led strikes would have on the larger conflict.
The Islamic State, while having chalked up numerous victories against the Syrian and Iraqi security forces and against Syrian rebels, has proved vulnerable to air power in Iraq, and it is unlikely that it can continue to hold all of its territory and facilities amid a sustained air campaign.The Islamic State, while having chalked up numerous victories against the Syrian and Iraqi security forces and against Syrian rebels, has proved vulnerable to air power in Iraq, and it is unlikely that it can continue to hold all of its territory and facilities amid a sustained air campaign.
Some of Syria’s allies have suggested that the government in Damascus would benefit from strikes, although analysts question whether the Syrian military has the forces it would need to do so.Some of Syria’s allies have suggested that the government in Damascus would benefit from strikes, although analysts question whether the Syrian military has the forces it would need to do so.
Syria also has hundreds of rebel groups, many of which hate the Islamic State, and the United States has been working with allies to build up a small number of groups deemed moderate. But these forces remain relatively small and are far from the Islamic State’s locations, so there is little chance that they will soon be able to seize control of any areas vacated by the Islamic State.Syria also has hundreds of rebel groups, many of which hate the Islamic State, and the United States has been working with allies to build up a small number of groups deemed moderate. But these forces remain relatively small and are far from the Islamic State’s locations, so there is little chance that they will soon be able to seize control of any areas vacated by the Islamic State.
Reuters quoted an unidentified ISIS fighter as saying “these attacks will be answered.” The militants have already released videos showing the beheadings of two American hostages and of one British captive, and have threatened a fourth hostage, a Briton, with the same fate.Reuters quoted an unidentified ISIS fighter as saying “these attacks will be answered.” The militants have already released videos showing the beheadings of two American hostages and of one British captive, and have threatened a fourth hostage, a Briton, with the same fate.
Additionally, an Algerian group linked to Islamic State has claimed to have kidnapped a French citizen. Prime Minister Manuel Valls told French radio that there would be “no discussion, no negotiation and we will never give in to blackmail” about the hostage’s fate.Additionally, an Algerian group linked to Islamic State has claimed to have kidnapped a French citizen. Prime Minister Manuel Valls told French radio that there would be “no discussion, no negotiation and we will never give in to blackmail” about the hostage’s fate.
France, whose warplanes joined the air campaign in Iraq last week but not the overnight strikes in Syria, has strongly denied persistent reports that it has paid ransom money to free its citizens held hostage by jihadist groups.France, whose warplanes joined the air campaign in Iraq last week but not the overnight strikes in Syria, has strongly denied persistent reports that it has paid ransom money to free its citizens held hostage by jihadist groups.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported strikes in five Syrian provinces, in the country’s north and east, targeting bases and training camps of the Islamic State and other groups.
In addition to Islamic State bases in the provinces of Raqqa, Hasaka, Deir al-Zour and Aleppo, strikes also hit bases belonging to the Nusra Front further west, killing at least seven Nusra fighters and eight civilians, according to the observatory, which tracks the conflict from Britain through a network of contacts in Syria.
Even for a population that has grown used to the sounds and sights of war, the new strikes proved surprising.Even for a population that has grown used to the sounds and sights of war, the new strikes proved surprising.
In a video posted online, a man in Idlib Province inspected a greenish metal hunk of what he said was the remainder of the munitions used in a strike.In a video posted online, a man in Idlib Province inspected a greenish metal hunk of what he said was the remainder of the munitions used in a strike.
“No one knows what happened yet,” the man said. “This was the first time we have heard an explosion like this during this revolution.”“No one knows what happened yet,” the man said. “This was the first time we have heard an explosion like this during this revolution.”
Adding to the broader ramifications of the Syrian war, the Israeli military said Tuesday that it had shot down a Syrian fighter jet that had “infiltrated into Israeli airspace,” the first such incident in at least a quarter of a century.
Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, a military spokesman, said the Patriot air-defense system had intercepted a Russian-made Sukhoi warplane over the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights around 9:15 a.m.
On Syria’s northern border, meanwhile, more than 130,000 Syrian Kurds have fled into Turkey to escape an advance by Islamic State fighters. The humanitarian catastrophe could worsen within days. The United Nations relief agency in Geneva said on Tuesday that it was possible that all 400,000 inhabitants of a Syrian Kurdish border town, which Arabs refer to as Ayn-al-Arab and Kurds call Kobani, would to try to flee into Turkey.
The United Nations human rights agency said Tuesday that it had received “very alarming” reports from the town of “deliberate killing of civilians, including women and children, the abduction of hundreds of Kurds by ISIL, and widespread looting and destruction of infrastructure and private property.”
Militants had taken over the main source of water, leading to severe shortages, the agency said. “While an estimated 138,000 people have fled the area,” the organization added in a statement, “hundreds of thousands remain in the region, living in fear of the kind of persecution that ISIL has carried out against religious and ethnic minorities elsewhere in Syria and Iraq.”
In Britain, senior officials said Prime Minister David Cameron was weighing whether to seek Parliament’s approval to join the air war, but only in Iraq and at the invitation of the Baghdad government.