Obama ‘Concerned’ Over Kobane, as Syrian Coalition Reiterates Calls to Arm the FSA

Obama on Tuesday expressed grave concern over the plight of the Syrian town of Kobane under attack by ISIS militants, and said a US-led coalition would keep up bombing raids there and in western Iraq. “We’re deeply concerned about the situation in and around the Syrian town of Kobane,” Obama said after meeting commanders from a coalition of more than 20 countries fighting the IS group. “There are going to be periods of progress and setbacks,” he said. Hadi al Bahra, president of the Syrian Coalition, said that empowering the Free Syrian Army is the only feasible way to fight terrorism, pointing out that the international anti-ISIS coalition cannot accomplish its mission if the airstrikes are restricted to fighting ISIS while ignoring the Assad regime which is the root cause of terrorism. He also stresses that “any military action cannot achieve its objectives unless if it propped up with a comprehensive political solution that achieves the aspirations of the Syrian people and ensure stability in Syria, Iraq and the entire region.” US Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday that he and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov have agreed to step up intelligence sharing over the Islamic State group. “I suggested to Foreign Minister Lavrov that we intensify intelligence cooperation with respect to ISIL and other counter-terrorism challenges of the region and we agreed to do so,” Kerry said.