The Islamic State (ISIS) reportedly has advanced toward a Kurdish town on the border of Turkey, prompting President Barack Obama to convene a meeting Tuesday with his national security team to coordinate a strategy.
According to
The Hill, the administration said in a statement that the president and top foreign policy aides had a meeting "to discuss our comprehensive strategy to counter the threat posed by [ISIS]."
CNN reported that the Turkish military was mobilizing along the border with Syria while bracing itself for a flood of refugees fleeing the town of Kobani. ISIS fighters are reportedly three kilometers from the northern Syrian town.
The Pentagon announced Tuesday that airstrikes were targeting ISIS in that area with the aim of halting its advance to the Turkish border, the Hill reported.
Meanwhile, on
Tuesday there were reports that ISIS was within a mile of Baghdad.
The two escalating situations are prompting questions about the effectiveness of Obama's strategy to halt the advances of the terrorist group.
But the White House sought to quell concerns. White House senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer told CNN that the president "said from the beginning, this is going to take some time."
"This is a long-term effort. We have made progress," Pfeiffer said. "The Pentagon believes the airstrikes we've taken have been effective, but it's going to take some time."
Pfeiffer also acknowledged that there was still "a lot of work to be done" because of the weakness of the Iraqi security forces who had "absolutely" botched the initial response to ISIS, the Hill reported.
Related stories:
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.