Syria as "ground zero for
jihadists around the world".

According to Obama, the head of the Us
intelligence community, Jim Clapper, has acknowledged that they
underestimated what had been going on in Syria. [1]

At the beginning of September Obama had
also claimed that "the war on ISIS would last at least 3 years" and a
few weeks later the Senate passed a bill authorizing Obama to begin
arming "moderate" rebels in Syria as part of a plan to step up the US
military campaign against ISIS militants.

The bill allocates $500 million not only
to the arming and training of Syrian rebels, but also to the expansion
of US military action in Iraq. Included in the bill is also the
extension of US government funding until December 11.

In the meantime the coalition, which
includes the US, UK, France, Saudi Arabia, Qatarand the United Arab
Emirates, have begun the airstrikes against Isis targets in Syria and
Iraq.

The fate of the Kurdish enclave in Kobani appears to be sealed. The
greater part of the formerly Kurdish-ruled area has already fallen to
the forces of Islamic State. Some 9,000 Islamic State fighters are
positioned close to the last remaining redoubt – Kobani city itself. The
black flag of the Sunni Islamists is already flying in three
neighborhoods of the city.

The Islamic State of Iraq and al
Sham (ISIS) is not the only violent group opposed to the government of Iraq.
Groups ranging from Salafist-jihadist to Sunni nationalist have also been
mobilized against Baghdad since at least 2013. They remain a threat to the
government even if ISIS is removed, especially if the core concerns of Iraqi
Sunnis remain unaddressed by the Iraqi government.