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White House to speed up training of Sunni groups in Iraq

by Jordan Fabian - 05/20/15 9:18 AM ET

President Obama will speed up training and equipping of Sunni tribal fighters in an effort to erase gains made by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

{mosads}The decision to tweak the U.S. approach to fighting the group came as the president convened more than two dozen members of his National Security Council Tuesday, days after ISIS militants took the Iraqi provincial capital of Ramadi.

Obama’s strategy in fighting the extremist group has come under scrutiny since the fall of Ramadi. The White House on Tuesday acknowledged it was a setback but indicated no wholesale changes to the plan are coming.

“We have seen important progress that has been made, but there have also been periods of setback,” said press secretary Josh Earnest.

When asked whether Obama’s strategy against ISIS has been a success, Earnest said, “Overall, yes.”

In addition to increasing assistance to Sunni militias, the U.S. will focus its attention on driving back ISIS in Anbar Province, where Ramadi is located. Some administration officials reportedly wanted to make a push to retake the northern city of Mosul.

Tags Barack Obama Iraq ISIS