Excerpt
JUDY WOODRUFF (NewsHour): We reported earlier on today’s reported beheading of another hostage by the Islamic State group. This comes as its terrorists continued to advance on and shell the besieged Kurdish town of Kobani, along Syria’s border with Turkey.
The militants’ push is happening despite continued airstrikes by the U.S. and other anti-I.S. Coalition members.
For more, we are joined by our chief foreign affairs correspondent, Margaret Warner.
Margaret, welcome.
We did report on this, another terrible murder of a hostage. We have just now seen a statement by the president condemning what’s happened, but he’s also saying these airstrikes will continue. Are they doing any good if these beheadings are also continuing?
MARGARET WARNER (NewsHour): Judy, looking on the situation on the ground both in Iraq and Syria, Iraq, they actually — they started in August. They have actually stopped the ISIS advance, but not rolled them back.
In Syria, obviously, from the beheading video, they’re not cowed. The I.S. people aren’t cowed. And, secondly, this advance continues on this beleaguered Kurdish town of Kobani. And they’re defended only by these Kurdish militiamen, Syrian Kurdish militiamen. They are begging for help on the ground, but for now, as the President's statement suggests, the White House remains focused on long-range training of the — quote — “moderate Syrian anti-I.S. fighters” and on touting the building up or beefing up of this coalition.
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