US Defense Secretary sees long-term fight against Islamic State
SANTIAGO - US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Saturday that the embattled Syrian city of Kobani was a very difficult problem but added that air strikes had made some progress in driving back Islamic State militants.
"We are doing what we can do through our air strikes to help drive back ISIL. In fact there has been some progress made in that area," Hagel told a news conference in Santiago, the Chilean capital.
Hagel underscored that the battle against the militants, who have seized swathes of Iraq and Syria, was a long-term fight. "It is a long-term effort. This is difficult, it is complicated. It's going to require many factors. And we are working now (with) coalition partners," he said.
