Kerry: Defending Besieged Syrian Town From ISIS Not a "Strategic Objective"
The United States has acknowledged the Islamic State could soon seize the Syrian town of Kobani on the Turkish border. ISIS militants are already in control of one-third of Kobani despite ongoing U.S.-led airstrikes. On Wednesday, Secretary of State John Kerry said preventing Kobani’s fall is not a strategic U.S. objective.
Secretary of State John Kerry: "As horrific as it is to watch in real time what’s happening in Kobani, it’s also important to remember you have to step back and understand the strategic objective and where we have begun over the course of the last weeks. … Notwithstanding the crisis in Kobani, the original targets of our efforts have been the command-and-control centers, the infrastructure. We’re trying to deprive the ISIL of the overall ability to wage this, not just in Kobani, but throughout Syria and into Iraq."If Kobani were to fall to the Islamic State, the group would be in control of more than half of Syria’s border with Turkey.
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