Obama declares war on "ISIL"

11 กันยายน 2557

"Our objective is clear: we will degrade, and ultimately destroy, ISIL through a comprehensive and sustained counter-terrorism strategy," US President Barack Obama told an American and international audience on Wednesday night.

"Our objective is clear: we will degrade, and ultimately destroy, ISIL through a comprehensive and sustained counter-terrorism strategy," US President Barack Obama told an American and international audience on Wednesday night.

Please join us on our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/bangkokpostlearning

US President Barack Obama delivers a prime time address from the Cross Hall of the White House on September 10, 2014 in Washington, DC. Vowing to target the Islamic State with air strikes "wherever they exist", Obama pledged to lead a broad coalition to fight IS and work with "partner forces" on the ground in Syria and Iraq. AFP PHOTO/POOL/Saul LOEB

President Obama's speech tonight in which he declared his country's determination to defeat the extremist "ISIL" (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) forces was closely watched throughout the world.

It didn't take long for the news media to get their stories out, largely because they had the complete text of the speech in advance. If you want a challenging English lesson, you can find the full text of the speech here (http://ti.me/1qG4sSK) and you can see and listen to it here (http://bit.ly/1pRb37X).

Here are excerpts the AFP story that was published only minutes after the speech ended.

Obama vows Syria air strikes to destroy Islamic State

WASHINGTON, Sept 11, 2014, AFP – President Barack Obama on Wednesday vowed to strike the "Islamic State" in Syria and to expand operations in Iraq, seizing command of an international coalition to destroy the jihadist army.

Obama, who wants history to remember him as the president who ended a decade of foreign wars, launched a major new escalation in the Middle East, also pledging to bolster Iraqi forces and to increase military assistance to Syria's opposition.

In a prime-time televised address, Obama said that ISIL, which has beheaded two US journalists and seized a swathe of land in Iraq and Syria, was a uniquely brutal group even by the blood-soaked standards of the Middle East.

"Our objective is clear: we will degrade, and ultimately destroy, ISIL through a comprehensive and sustained counter-terrorism strategy," Obama said, steeling his nation for a new foreign war.

"I have made it clear that we will hunt down terrorists who threaten our country, wherever they are.

"That means I will not hesitate to take action against ISIL in Syria, as well as Iraq," he said.

"This is a core principle of my presidency: if you threaten America, you will find no safe haven."

But he made clear in the sombre, 14 minute address, that the new front against terrorism will not replicate the exhausting ground wars of the last decade.

"I want the American people to understand how this effort will be different from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan," Obama said.

"It will not involve American combat troops fighting on foreign soil."

Speaking from the ceremonial State floor of the White House, looking directly into the camera, Obama said that his new strategy had only been possible because Iraqi politicians had converged and formed an "inclusive" government to unite the country and take on ISIL.

He announced the dispatch of another 475 military personnel to help train Iraqi forces to take on the Islamic State.

And he urged national unity and girded his countrymen for a new battle in the Middle East that could outlast his presidency.

"As Americans, we welcome our responsibility to lead. From Europe to Asia – from the far reaches of Africa to war-torn capitals of the Middle East – we stand for freedom, for justice, for dignity," he said.

"Tonight, I ask for your support in carrying that leadership forward."

The president also insisted that America was not alone in its fight – arguing that "America will lead a broad coalition to roll back this terrorist threat."