Obama says anti-ISIL fight making progress

The U.S. military is making progress against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, but more work remains to be done, President Obama said Monday.

“This will not be quick — this is a long-term campaign,” Obama said at the Pentagon after meeting top military brass in the wake of setbacks that prompted critics to call for a more robust U.S. response against the Islamic State, also known as ISIL or ISIS.

Obama stressed that the U.S. is working with a 60-nation coalition and that local forces must take the initiative. Military force alone will not destroy ISIL, he said, citing diplomatic and economic efforts fight the terrorists.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said the Islamic State continues to gain land in Iraq and Syria. McCain said Obama’s comments “reveal the disturbing degree of self-delusion that characterizes the administration’s campaign against ISIL.” McCain wants U.S. troops to deploy outside training bases with Iraqis to advise them in battle and to call in airstrikes.