Dec 6, 2015:
In a televised address from the Whitehouse, President Obama talked to Americans about terrorism.
Here are the highlights from Obama's address:
- He affirmed that ISIL will be destroyed and that we will prevail by being strong, smart, resilient, and relentless
- Specifically, Obama outlined the current strategy to combat and defeat ISIL:
- The U.S. military will continue to hunt down terrorist plotters, wherever they might be
- Continued airstrikes in Iraq and Syria
- Help from our allies, specifically France, Germany, and the United Kingdom
- Continued training and equipment to Iraqi and Syrian forces
- Help from the recently announced U.S. Special Operations Forces
- Working with our allies to disrupt ISIL operations (plots, financing, and recruitment)
- Working to establish a process and timeline to pursue a ceasefire and a political resolution to the Syrian war, allowing all parties to focus on ISIL
- He said he asked the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to review the visa Waiver program, which is how the female terrorist in San Bernardino originally came to the U.S.
- He asked Congress to take action to ensure no one on a no-fly list is able to buy a gun
- He reiterated his request to make it harder for people to buy powerful assault weapons
- He said he is working with Congress to implement stronger screening for those who come to America without a visa
- He asked Congress to authorize the continued use of military force against ISIL
- He said we should not be drawn into a long and costly ground war in Iraq or Syria, or turn against one another by letting the fight be defined as a war between America and Islam
- He said that in order to succeed we must enlist Muslim communities as some of our strongest allies and not push them away through suspicion and hate, while at the same time acknowledging that an extremist ideology has spread within some Muslim communities
- He said that Muslim leaders in the U.S. and around the world have to continue working with the U.S. to reject the hateful ideology that groups like ISIL and al Qaeda promote
- He said it's the responsibility of all Americans, regardless of faith, to reject discrimination, and it's the responsibility of the United States to reject religious tests on who we admit into the U.S.
Read a transcript of Obama's address here.
More:
- Obama Says of Terrorist Threat: 'We Will Overcome It' | The New York Times
- Obama’s Speech on Terrorist Threat Is a Plea for Patience and National Unity | The New York Times
- Obama tries to ease anxiety over terrorism with Oval Office address | The Washington Post
- How Obama Thinks About Terrorism | The Atlantic
- Obama's oval effort: Why the pundits dismissed the terror speech | Fox News