Obama to Spell Out Strategy to Defeat Islamic State

President's Wednesday Speech to Outline Plan To Beat Back Militants in Iraq and Syria

By Patrick O'Connor, WSJ
Updated Sept. 7, 2014 9:07 a.m. ET

President Barack Obama plans Wednesday to spell out specific steps that the U.S. will take with its allies to beat back Islamic militants expanding their grip on large sections of Iraq and Syria.

The speech marks the next chapter in Mr. Obama's campaign to build broader support at home and abroad for the U.S. to assume a greater role in the fight against the Islamic State.

The president made it clear Saturday that he is seeking buy-in from lawmakers on Capitol Hill as he commits U.S. military and intelligence assets to help allies in the region confront the well-organized Islamic militants who continue to gain territory and new recruits, and recently beheaded a pair of American journalists.

"I am going to be asking Congress to make sure that they understand and support what our plan is," Mr. Obama said in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press," which taped Saturday.

(More here.)