Obama: Military strategy alone won't defeat ISIS
US president heads summit of a multi-state coalition against the Islamic State at the UN, clarifying that multiple means are needed in order to defeat it.
The US will use all means necessary to defeat ISIS, President Barack Obama said Tuesday. Obama led a UN gathering of representatives from 100 countries, dedicated to combating the Islamic State terrorist organization.
"There are going to be successes and there are going to be setbacks," Obama said, explaining that many different means must be used in order to defeat ISIS, "We are harnessing all of our tools - military, intelligence, economic, development and the strength of our communities."
Obama repeated his position on Syria, saying that it needs a new leader. Following his Monday speech at the United Nations General Assembly, Obama once again said that the US is willing to cooperate with Russia and Iran to fight ISIS.
The US president said that Nigeria, Tunisia, and Malaysia are the newest members of the coalition against ISIS. Over 60 countries, among them several Arab countries, are working together using airstrikes in order to combat the organization, which now controls large parts of Iraq and Syria.
During the gathering, the American government published a list of steps that could limit ISIS's economic capabilities. The US State Department added seven ISIS-related organizations to its terror list, and the Treasury Department listed 35 organizations that aid ISIS with recruiting new members.
The assets of these organizations were frozen, and American individuals and companies are now barred from doing business with them. "This is not a conventional battle," Obama said. "This is a long-term campaign."
This annual meeting of the General Assembly has focused largely on the fight against Islamic extremism. While the special anti-ISIS coalition gathering was in progress, the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), in collaboration with the US State Department, Microsoft, and Facebook, held a special summit of its own.
The CEP's Global Youth Summit Against Violent Extremism was held in New York City, home of the UN, and hosted about 100 youth activists from around the world. Among the participants were former members of organizations such as Al-Qaeda, who are now working to prevent youth from going on the extremist and terrorist path. CEP operates in countries such as Egypt, Iraq, Kenya, Nigeria, and Pakistan.
Senior American government officials attended the summit, discussing ways of raising awareness to the subject through the internet and other platforms.
The CEP is an apolitical, non-profit organization established a year ago, and works to prevent extremism by funding different groups, raising awareness, and attempting to influence legislation and regulation.
