President Obama told congressional leaders Tuesday that he "has the authority he needs" to take action against the jihadist group known as the Islamic State, the White House said.
Obama, who addresses the nation Wednesday night, outlined a plan that includes continued U.S. air strikes, counter-terrorism actions, aid from other nations, and military training and assistance to moderates in Iraq and Syria, according to aides and a White House statement issued after the meeting.
Congressional leaders "expressed their support for efforts to degrade and ultimately destroy" the Islamic State, the White House said.
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, one of four congressional leaders who met with Obama, expressed support for some of the president's options, "such as increasing the effectiveness of the Iraqi Security Forces and training and equipping the Syrian opposition,'' said an aide to the speaker.
Boehner also said "he would support the President if he chose to deploy the military to help train and play an advisory role for the Iraqi Security Forces and assist with lethal targeting" of the Islamic State leadership, said the aide who spoke on condition of anonymity because it was a private meeting.
The president will use the 9 p.m. speech to discuss "the progress that we have made thus far" against insurgents, including ongoing airstrikes in Iraq and formation of a national government in Baghdad, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.
Obama will focus on the "next phase," Earnest said, including help to the Iraq military and to moderate forces in Syria so they can "take the fight" to Islamic State insurgents. Obama, he said, will discuss assistance from other countries in the battle against the Islamic State, also known as ISIL and ISIS.
Last week in Wales, Obama said a group of nine countries joined to fight the Islamic State.
Obama may raise the long-term potential for airstrikes in Syria, though there is no sign that any such action is imminent. Military surveillance flights have started over Syria, where Earnest said the Islamic State has a "virtual safe haven."
The administration does not plan to send American troops there or to act without support from allies, Earnest said.
Obama told NBC's Meet the Press over the weekend that he will not send ground troops into combat, and this strategy will not be the equivalent of the Iraq War launched in 2003.
This plan "is similar to the kinds of counter-terrorism campaigns that we've been engaging in consistently over the last five, six, seven years," Obama said.
He said, "The next phase is now to start going on some offense."
Leaders who met with Obama Tuesday included Boehner, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.; Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.; and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
"The President told the Leaders that he would welcome action by the Congress that would aid the overall effort and demonstrate to the world that the United States is united in defeating the threat from ISIL," the White House said.
Obama administration officials will brief all members of the House and Senate on Thursday, a day after the president's speech. The president and his aides have not said whether he will seek congressional authorization or extra money to pay for the next moves against the Islamic State.
The president is likely to praise the creation of a government in Iraq, which was announced Monday. Obama has called for a stable government as a precondition for increased U.S. military activity.
The Islamic State has captured large sections of Syria and Iraq. Obama and other Western officials say it plans to use its "caliphate" to launch attacks on U.S. and European interests.
The group has made threats against the West and murdered two U.S. journalists.
The speech is in the drafting phase, Earnest said Tuesday afternoon, and "it's likely to change between now and tomorrow night."
Obama said he wants the American people "to understand the nature of the threat and how we're going to deal with it and to have confidence that we'll be able to deal with it."
Wednesday night is the eve of the 13th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
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