Despite Obama’s remarks, US has not ‘contained’ ISIL terrorists, military chief says

A top military officer says the US has “not contained” the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in Iraq and Syria, despite what President Barack Obama had said.

US Marine General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Tuesday, “We have not contained ISIL,” contradicting Obama’s reassuring remarks to ABC News last month just before the terrorist attacks in Paris.

General Dunford added that the Daesh Takfiris have been “tactically” contained in areas in Iraq and Syria since 2010, but “strategically, they have spread since 2010.”

He was giving testimony alongside Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, who announced that the US would expand its special operations force in Iraq and Syria to help fight ISIL.