US agencies conclude video on Sotloff killing is authentic
As Americans were outraged by the beheading of a second journalist, President Barack Obama on Wednesday vowed to wage a long battle to “degrade and destroy” the militant Islamic State outfit by building a regional coalition.
“We will not be intimidated,” he said, telling the ISIS that its horrific acts only unite the Americans and stiffen their resolve, adding: “Those who make the mistake of harming Americans will learn that we will not forget, and that our reach is long and that justice will be served.”
The United States would continue to lead the regional and international effort against the “barbaric and ultimately empty vision that ISIl represents”, Obama said in the Estonian capital of Tallinn while on his way to Wales for the NATO summit.
His comments came even as US intelligence agencies concluded that the video on the brutal killing of 31-year-old Steven Sotloff was authentic, just like the one two days ago that showed the beheading of James Foley.
However, even as demands grew for decisive direct action by the US military against ISIS strongholds in Syria, Obama declined to indicate how soon the American strategy would be finalised or how soon his regional coalition would be ready.
“That’s going to take some time, but we’re going to get it done. I’m very confident of it,” he said, noting: “What I’ve said from the start is that this is not going to be a one-week or one-month or six-month proposition. Because of what’s happened in the vacuum of Syria, as well as the battle-hardened elements of ISIS that grew out of al Qaeda in Iraq during the course of the Iraq war, it’s going to take time for us to be able to roll them back.”
likewise, it is also going to take time to be able to form the regional coalition that would be required in order to reach out to Sunni tribes in some of the areas that ISIS has occupied.
In Washington, both Republican and Democratic lawmakers urged tough and swift action in response to the brutal execution of the two journalists.
Republican Congressman Ed Royce, who heads the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the US ought to be “acting urgently” to arm the Kurds in northern Iraq and target the Islamic State with drone strikes.
“Sadly, ISIS is bringing this barbarity across the region – beheading and crucifying those who don’t share their dark ideology,” he said, adding: “The threat from this group seems to grow by the day.”
Democratic Senator Bill Nelson said there must be no doubt about going after ISIS right away. “The US is the only one that can put together a coalition to stop this group that’s intent on barbaric cruelty,” he said and spoke of plans to move legislation next week to give President Obama authority to order airstrikes against ISIS in Syria.