A divided House of Representatives voted to authorize the training and arming of Syrian rebels. President Obama said the US will degrade and ultimately destroy the Islamic State by means of airstrikes against IS targets in Iraq and Syria, training and equipping “partners,” including Iraqi troops, and by leading a broad coalition against the group; he vowed that he will not commit US troops to another ground war in Iraq. Vice President Biden said the decision to commit US ground troops in Iraq will depend on how the current strategy works. Joint chiefs chair General Dempsey said that 24 of the Iraqi Army’s 50 brigades are not credible US partners. Calling the Islamic State a long-term threat to the US and Europe, Army chief of staff General Odierno said airstrikes alone will not root out extremists in Iraq, ground troops will also be needed, and that extremists cannot be permitted a safe haven in Syria. Mufid A. Elfgeeh, of Rochester, New York, was indicted for helping three men try to join ISIS in Syria and for planning to murder US troops who had returned from Iraq. The Islamic State released a video threatening retaliation against the US.
