The prepared text of President
Obama’s speech, as released by the White House:
My fellow Americans — tonight,
I want to speak to you about what the United States will do with our friends
and allies to degrade and ultimately destroy the terrorist group known as ISIL.
As commander-in-chief, my highest priority is the
security of the American people. Over the last several years, we have
consistently taken the fight to terrorists who threaten our country. We
took out Osama bin Laden and much of al Qaeda’s leadership in Afghanistan and
Pakistan. We’ve targeted al Qaeda’s affiliate in Yemen, and recently eliminated
the top commander of its affiliate in Somalia. We’ve done so while bringing
more than 140,000 American troops home from Iraq, and drawing down our forces
in Afghanistan, where our combat mission will end later this year. Thanks to
our military and counterterrorism professionals, America is safer. Still, we continue to face a terrorist threat. We cannot
erase every trace of evil from the world, and small groups of killers have the
capacity to do great harm. That was the case before 9/11, and that remains true
today. That’s why we must remain vigilant as threats emerge. At this moment,
the greatest threats come from the Middle East and North Africa, where radical
groups exploit grievances for their own gain. And one of those groups is
ISIL — which calls itself the “Islamic State.” Now let’s make two things clear:
ISIL is not “Islamic.” No religion condones the killing of innocents, and the
vast majority of ISIL’s victims have been Muslim. And ISIL is certainly not a
state. It was formerly al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Iraq, and has taken advantage of
sectarian strife and Syria’s civil war to gain territory on both sides of the
Iraq-Syrian border. It is recognized by no government, nor the people it
subjugates. ISIL is a terrorist organization, pure and simple. And it has no
vision other than the slaughter of all who stand in its way. In a region that
has known so much bloodshed, these terrorists are unique in their brutality.
They execute captured prisoners. They kill children. They enslave, rape, and
force women into marriage. They threatened a religious minority with genocide.
In acts of barbarism, they took the lives of two American journalists — Jim
Foley and Steven Sotloff. So ISIL poses a threat to the people of Iraq
and Syria, and the broader Middle East — including American citizens, personnel
and facilities. If left unchecked, these terrorists could pose a growing threat
beyond that region — including to the United States. While we have not yet
detected specific plotting against our homeland, ISIL leaders have threatened
America and our allies. Our intelligence community believes that thousands of
foreigners — including Europeans and some Americans — have joined them in Syria
and Iraq. Trained and battle-hardened, these fighters could try to return to
their home countries and carry out deadly attacks. I know many Americans are
concerned about these threats. Tonight, I want you to know that the United
States of America is meeting them with strength and resolve. Last month, I ordered our military to take targeted action
against ISIL to stop its advances. Since then, we have conducted more than 150
successful airstrikes in Iraq. These strikes have protected American personnel and
facilities, killed ISIL fighters, destroyed weapons, and given space for Iraqi
and Kurdish forces to reclaim key territory. These strikes have helped save the
lives of thousands of innocent men, women and children. But this is not
our fight alone. American power can make a decisive difference, but we cannot
do for Iraqis what they must do for themselves, nor can we take the place of
Arab partners in securing their region. That’s why I’ve insisted that
additional U.S. action depended upon Iraqis forming an inclusive government,
which they have now done in recent days. So tonight, with a new Iraqi
government in place, and following consultations with allies abroad and
Congress at home, I can announce that America will lead a broad coalition to
roll back this terrorist threat. Our objective is
clear: we will degrade, and ultimately destroy, ISIL through a comprehensive
and sustained counter-terrorism strategy. First, we will conduct a
systematic campaign of airstrikes against these terrorists. Working with the
Iraqi government, we will expand our efforts beyond protecting our own people
and humanitarian missions, so that we’re hitting ISIL targets as Iraqi forces
go on offense. Moreover, 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. This is a core principle of
my presidency: if you threaten America, you will find no safe haven. Second, we
will increase our support to forces fighting these terrorists on the ground. In
June, I deployed several hundred American service members to Iraq to assess how
we can best support Iraqi Security Forces. Now that those teams have completed
their work — and Iraq has formed a government — we will send an additional 475
service members to Iraq. As I have said before, these American forces will not
have a combat mission — we will not get dragged into another ground war in
Iraq. But they are needed to support Iraqi and Kurdish forces with training,
intelligence and equipment. We will also support Iraq’s efforts to stand up
National Guard Units to help Sunni communities secure their own freedom from
ISIL control. Across the border, in Syria, we have ramped up our military
assistance to the Syrian opposition. Tonight, I again call on Congress to give
us additional authorities and resources to train and equip these fighters. In
the fight against ISIL, we cannot rely on an Assad regime that terrorizes its
people; a regime that will never regain the legitimacy it has lost. Instead, we
must strengthen the opposition as the best counterweight to extremists like
ISIL, while pursuing the political solution necessary to solve Syria’s crisis
once and for all. Third, we will continue to draw on our substantial
counterterrorism capabilities to prevent ISIL attacks. Working with our
partners, we will redouble our efforts to cut off its funding; improve our
intelligence; strengthen our defenses; counter its warped ideology; and stem
the flow of foreign fighters into — and out of — the Middle East. And in two
weeks, I will chair a meeting of the UN Security Council to further mobilize
the international community around this effort. Fourth, we will continue
providing humanitarian assistance to innocent civilians who have been displaced
by this terrorist organization. This includes Sunni and Shia Muslims who are at
grave risk, as well as tens of thousands of Christians and other religious
minorities. We cannot allow these communities to be driven from their ancient
homelands. This is our strategy. And in each of these four parts of our
strategy, America will be joined by a broad coalition of partners. Already,
allies are flying planes with us over Iraq; sending arms and assistance to
Iraqi Security Forces and the Syrian opposition; sharing intelligence; and
providing billions of dollars in humanitarian aid. Secretary Kerry was in Iraq
today meeting with the new government and supporting their efforts to promote
unity, and in the coming days he will travel across the Middle East and Europe
to enlist more partners in this fight, especially Arab nations who can help
mobilize Sunni communities in Iraq and Syria to drive these terrorists from
their lands. This is American leadership at its best: we stand with people who
fight for their own freedom; and we rally other nations on behalf of our common
security and common humanity. My Administration has also secured bipartisan
support for this approach here at home. I have the authority to address the
threat from ISIL. But I believe we are strongest as a nation when the President
and Congress work together. So I welcome congressional support for this effort
in order to show the world that Americans are united in confronting this
danger. Now, it will take time to eradicate a cancer like ISIL. And any time we
take military action, there are risks involved — especially to the servicemen
and women who carry out these missions. But I want the
American people to understand how this effort will be different from the wars
in Iraq and Afghanistan. It will not involve American combat troops fighting on
foreign soil. This counter-terrorism campaign will be waged through a steady,
relentless effort to take out ISIL wherever they exist, using our air power and
our support for partner forces on the ground. This strategy of taking
out terrorists who threaten us, while supporting partners on the front lines,
is one that we have successfully pursued in Yemen and Somalia for years. And it
is consistent with the approach I outlined earlier this year: to use force
against anyone who threatens America’s core interests, but to mobilize partners
wherever possible to address broader challenges to international order. My fellow
Americans, we live in a time of great change. Tomorrow marks 13 years since our
country was attacked. Next week marks 6 years since our economy suffered its
worst setback since the Great Depression. Yet despite these shocks; through the
pain we have felt and the grueling work required to bounce back — America is
better positioned today to seize the future than any other nation on Earth. Our
technology companies and universities are unmatched; our manufacturing and auto
industries are thriving. Energy independence is closer than it’s been in
decades. For all the work that remains, our businesses are in the longest
uninterrupted stretch of job creation in our history. Despite all the divisions
and discord within our democracy, I see the grit and determination and common
goodness of the American people every single day — and that makes me more
confident than ever about our country’s future. Abroad, American leadership is
the one constant in an uncertain world. It is America that has the capacity and
the will to mobilize the world against terrorists. It is America that has
rallied the world against Russian aggression, and in support of the Ukrainian
peoples’ right to determine their own destiny. It is America — our scientists,
our doctors, our know-how — that can help contain and cure the outbreak of
Ebola. It is America that helped remove and destroy Syria’s declared chemical
weapons so they cannot pose a threat to the Syrian people — or the world —
again. And it is America that is helping Muslim communities around the world
not just in the fight against terrorism, but in the fight for opportunity,
tolerance, and a more hopeful future. America, our endless blessings bestow an
enduring burden. But 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. These are values
that have guided our nation since its founding. Tonight, I ask for your support
in carrying that leadership forward. I do so as a Commander-in-Chief who could
not be prouder of our men and women in uniform — pilots who bravely fly in the
face of danger above the Middle East, and service-members who support our
partners on the ground. When we helped prevent the massacre of civilians
trapped on a distant mountain, here’s what one of them said. “We owe our
American friends our lives. Our children will always remember that there was
someone who felt our struggle and made a long journey to protect innocent
people.” That is the difference we make in the world. And our own safety — our
own security — depends upon our willingness to do what it takes to defend this
nation, and uphold the values that we stand for — timeless ideals that will
endure long after those who offer only hate and destruction have been
vanquished from the Earth. May God bless our troops, and may God bless the
United States of America.
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