BBC Online :
President Obama has said Congress’s backing for his $500m plan to aid moderate Syrian rebels shows the world the US is united against Islamic State.
He spoke moments after the US Senate approved his plan, a day after it was passed by the House of Representatives.
“The strong bipartisan support in Congress for this new training effort shows the world Americans are united in confronting the threat from Isil.” On Thursday, the US continued to strike IS targets in Iraq.
The jihadist group known as IS, Isis or Isil, controls large areas of Syria and northern Iraq, and the US has undertaken 174 air strikes against it in Iraq since mid-August. Air strikes are now expected in Syria, but Obama has pledged to not authorise a ground operation in either country.
“We can join with allies and partners to destroy Isil without American troops fighting another ground war in the Middle East,” he said in his White House statement.
