Obama says U.S. has ‘momentum’ in fight against Islamic State

Jacquelyn Martin / AP

President Barack Obama speaks in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, March 30, 2016.

By Josh Lederman and Kevin Freking, Associated Press

Wednesday, April 13, 2016 | 3:18 p.m.

LANGLEY, Va. — President Barack Obama says the U.S. and its partners have the momentum in the fight against the Islamic State group and intend to keep it.

Obama is speaking at CIA headquarters after a meeting with his national security advisers. He's reviewing progress in rolling back the extremist group from territory in Iraq and Syria and in killing its leaders.

Obama says the fight remains difficult. He says Islamic State extremists are "depraved terrorists" who remain able to inflict horrific violence on innocent people.

But Obama says Islamic State leaders wake up every day knowing it could be their last.

Obama says the U.S. will also keep working to secure a diplomatic resolution to Syria's civil war. He says a fragile ceasefire has reduced violence for Syrians but hasn't eliminated it.