Secretary of Defense Hagel announced plans to revitalize the US military’s technological capabilities. Qatar’s foreign minister warned that the US air campaign against the Islamic State in Syria is helping the Assad regime and straining Sunni-Shia relations in the Middle East; he suggested that Arab forces take over territory recaptured from the Islamic State. President Obama reiterated that the US does not plan to carry out military operations against the Assad regime. US military advisers have begun assisting Iraqi troops in Anbar province. The White House confirmed that former US soldier and Syrian aid worker Peter Kassig was beheaded by the Islamic State.
