Obama warns of long campaign against Islamic State

US president Barack Obama predicted "periods of progress and setbacks" in the war against Islamic militants in Iraq and Syria as he sought to demonstrate a unity of purpose during an unusual face-to-face meeting with senior military chiefs from 21 nations.

In remarks after a 90-minute session at Andrews Air Force Base, Mr Obama defended the coalition's "important success" against the Islamic State, including the defense of the Mosul dam in Iraq in the summer. But he said the coalition of nations allied against the militants should understand that "this is going to be a long-term campaign."

The president offered his cautionary message even as his strategy to "degrade and ultimately destroy" the Islamic State with an air campaign is coming under increasing attack from critics who say the United States and its partners are losing ground against the enemy.

In Syria, the militants continued to make gains in their battle for the town of Kobani, on the Turkish border, despite a barrage of airstrikes from US and Saudi warplanes in the last two days. In Iraq, Islamic State fighters have seized vast parts of Anbar province and have pushed within about 15 miles of Baghdad.

Iraqi army forces withdrew on Monday from a base near the town of Hit, in Anbar, after an advance by Islamic State fighters. The retreat raised new questions about Mr Obama's hopes for an air campaign that would support local ground forces. In a briefing with reporters, Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, defended the president's approach in the region, saying that there are "specific episodes" in recent months that serve as evidence that the president's strategy against the Islamic State is working.

But like the president, Mr Earnest also suggested that success will not be quick or easy, and he urged patience in judging the effort.

“I don’t think anybody has sought to leave you or anyone else with the impression that these kinds of airstrikes were going to dramatically reverse the situation on the battlefield overnight,” Mr Earnest said. “They won’t.”

Mr Earnest also played down concerns about Turkish airstrikes against Kurdish insurgent positions in southeastern Turkey on Monday. Earnest said that the US government continued to have conversations with Turkey's political and military leaders about its role in the fight against the Islamic State. He said US military specialists were in Turkey to continue those talks.

The president’s talk with the foreign military commanders provided a rare venue for Mr Obama, who usually reserves his public time for meetings with the political leadership of the countries he has persuaded to be part of the military coalition in the region.

US military officials invited their counterparts to what White House aides described as a two-day seminar at the secure Air Force base in Maryland that is better known as the home base of the president's plane.

In addition to the foreign military officers, most of the president's senior national security advisers also attended. Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel did not attend because they were traveling, officials said.

In his brief remarks, Mr Obama described the fight against the militants in Iraq and Syria as an “ideological” battle that will need to include economic development for the countries involved and the communication of an “alternative vision” to those who would otherwise be attracted to fight for the Islamic State.

The New York Times