President Barack Obama said in an interview with The Atlantic that while the fall of the Iraqi city of Ramadi to Islamic State militants was a "tactical setback," he believes that the fight against the radical Islamic group is not being lost.
"No, I don't think we're losing," he said.
Obama, however, does concede that the fall of Ramadi created a number of significant setbacks in the fight against ISIL.
"There's no doubt there was a tactical setback, although Ramadi had been vulnerable for a very long time, primarily because these are not Iraqi security forces that we have trained or reinforced," he said.
"The training of Iraqi security forces, the fortifications, the command-and-control systems are not happening fast enough in Anbar, in the Sunni parts of the country," he added.
The president has also emphasized the importance of Sunni cooperation in the war efforts. Washington wants the counter-offensive against the radical group to include both Sunni and Shi'ite forces to be under direct government command, according to Reuters.
"There's no doubt that, in the Sunni areas, we're going to have to ramp up not just training, but also commitment, and we better get Sunni tribes more activated than they currently have been," he said.
Further along in the interview, Obama stated that the United States will be continuing its support in the fight against ISIL.
"I think Prime Minister Abadi is sincere and committed to an inclusive Iraqi state, and I will continue to order our military to provide the Iraqi security forces all assistance that they need in order to secure their country, and I'll provide diplomatic and economic assistance that's necessary for them to stabilize," he said.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a U.S. official said that Washington has had long-standing concerns about the leadership capabilities of Abadi, according to Reuters. However, the United States also sees no viable alternative, current and former, to him.
