The United States plans to fight Islamic State until it is no longer a force in the Middle East and will seek justice for the killing of American journalist Steven Sotloff, President Barack Obama said on Wednesday, according to The Associated Press.
Obama added that destroying the militant group will take time because of the power vacuum in Syria, the abundance of battle-hardened fighters that grew out of al Qaeda during the Iraq war, and the need to build coalitions, including with local Sunni communities, the AP reported.
"The bottom line is this, our objective is clear and that is to degrade and destroy (Islamic State) so that it's no longer a threat not just to Iraq but also the region and to the United States," Obama told a news conference, according to the AP.
Islamic State released a video on Tuesday showing the beheading of the U.S. journalist, the second American hostage to be killed within weeks, in retaliation for U.S. airstrikes in Iraq, according to the AP. The United States resumed air strikes in Iraq in August for the first time since the pullout of U.S. troops in 2011, and Obama said the strikes are already proving effective.
"Whatever these murderers think they will achieve with killing innocent Americans like Steven, they have already failed," Obama said, the AP reported. "They failed because, like people around the world, Americans are repulsed by their barbarism. We will not be intimidated."
U.S and British officials both examined the video, showing the same British-accented executioner who appeared in an Aug. 19 video of the killing of U.S. journalist James Foley, and concluded it was authentic, according to the AP.
"Those that 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," said Obama, who authorized the strike in Pakistan that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden 10 years after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, the AP reported.
