US President Barack Obama voiced fresh determination to destroy the Islamic State on Monday, vowing to kill the group's leaders and win back territory in the Middle East.
The US president said the mission to fight and destroy the Islamic State is going to continue with the US leading the attacks.
Following a meeting with his National Security Council at the Pentagon, Obama said the US is “hitting IS harder than ever” as he listed the leaders who have already been taken out by US-led airstrikes.
“As we squeeze its heart, we’ll make it harder for Islamic State to pump its terror and propaganda to the rest of the world,” Obama insisted at the Pentagon, after meeting top military and national security advisors.
The US president also listed the key eight Islamic State figures that have been killed in coalition operations. “Islamic State cannot hide and our message to them is simple: “You are next.”
US Special Forces have moved into Syria’s Raqqa area and taking the fight to the terror group.
Meanwhile, he said, Iraqi forces were moving to take Ramadi “encircle Fallujah and cut off Islamic State’s supply routes into Mosul.”
From the air, Obama said the United States and its allies had begun targeting “oil infrastructure, destroying hundreds of their tanker trucks, wells and refineries”.
