US to go ahead against Islamic State

"The United States is at war with ISIL in the same way that we are at war with Al-Qaeda and its Al-Qaeda affiliates all around the globe," White House spokesman Josh Earnest is quoted by media as saying.

Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby is reported to be saying, "We know we are at war with ISIL in the same way we're at war and continue to be at war with Al-Qaida and its affiliates.”

It has been learnt that, Obama, is scheduled to visit Tampa, Florida on Wednesday to receive a briefing from top commanders at US Central Command, which oversees American forces in the Middle East.

US Secretary of State John Kerry though don’t want to term it as “war”. Instead he termed it as “counter-terrorism” initiative that US has been following for years.

He said, "I think 'war' is the wrong terminology and analogy but the fact is that we are engaged in a very significant global effort to curb terrorist activity.”

“We're engaged in a major counter-terrorism operation, and it's going to be a long-term counter-terrorism operation," Kerry told CBS News.

Earlier, Obama on Wednesday has declared to take on Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS or ISIL) a few days ago.

US President then has said, “U.S. is on the right side of history”.

The declaration came as a response from US government days after two US journalists were beheaded in Syria.

Reacting sharply to US decision, Russia and China asserted that US must take “go-ahead” from United Nations before venturing into yet another full-fledged strike on Syrian soil; otherwise it will be considered as US “aggression on foreign soil”.

But Washington on Friday made it clear that they are not going to stop.

Obama on Friday reiterated that, “We are the envy of the world, but in order to actually, fully realize that potential we have got to have a government that works.”