The United States, which is leading efforts to build a global response to the growing IS threat, says that dozens of countries are now part of the campaign against the extremists who have taken control of a large swathe of Iraq and Syria.


“We won’t hesitate to take action against these terrorists in Iraq or in Syria,” Obama said. “But this is not America’s fight alone.”

Though Obama has vowed not to send US “boots on the ground,” fearful of dragging his forces back into the Iraqi quagmire only three years after withdrawing from the country, about 1,600 US troops have been deployed to Iraq to train local security forces and help safeguard US personnel there.

Thousands of supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr held a rally in Baghdad today after al-Sadr urged his followers to protest against the “American occupation” in Iraq.

Strange bedfellows

The US-led coalition drive has produced strange bedfellows, with Washington’s traditional foe Iran represented at a meeting called by US Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday, along with US allies Britain, France, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

France, which refused to back the US-led invasion of Iraq more than a decade ago, yesterday became the first nation to join the US aerial campaign in the war-torn country as it carried out an air strike targeting the militants.

“This isn’t America vs. ISIL,” said Obama today. “This is the people of that region vs. ISIL. It’s the world vs. ISIL,” he added, using another acronym by which the extremist group is known.

Tackling Islamic State: Can US, Russia work together?

Release of Turkish hostages

Meanwhile, IS today released 46 Turkish citizens, including diplomats and children, it had taken hostage in June in the Iraq city of Mosul.

Western diplomats have accused President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Islamic-rooted government of failing to show wholehearted support for the battle against IS militants.

Turkey, which in recent years has positioned itself as the major power in the Muslim world,  said its hands were tied while trying to negotiate the release of the hostages, including diplomats and children, who were taken hostage by the IS group in June in Mosul.

With the release of the hostages, it was unclear whether Turkey would now change course.

Even though Iran and the United States both support Iraqi forces fighting IS, Tehran and Washington have both said they will not cooperate with the other. Syria is also a non-participant.

(VoR, AFP)