President Barack Obama speaks on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2014, about ongoing situation in Iraq before his departure on Marine One for a vacation in Martha’s Vineyard. AP
WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama says US airstrikes in Iraq against Islamic State militants have succeeded in destroying arms and equipment that could have been used against the Kurdish capital of Irbil.
He says humanitarian efforts continue to airdrop food and water to persecuted religious minorities stranded on a mountaintop, and he says planning is underway for how to evacuate them.
Obama wouldn’t give a timetable for how long the US military involvement would last, saying it depends on Iraqi political efforts.
He says it won’t be weeks but will take some time.
Obama also says the advance of the Islamic State forces was more rapid than anticipated.
Obama made his comments on the South Lawn of the White House Saturday, just before boarding Marine One for his summer vacation in Massachusetts.