On "Meet the Press" Sunday morning, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough outlined what success looks like in the war against ISIS. "Success looks like an ISIL (ISIS) that no longer threatens our friends in the region, no longer threatens the United States. An (ISIS) that can't accumulate followers, or threaten Muslims in Syria, Iran, Iraq, or otherwise," McDonough. Retired Gen. John Allen, newly appointed to lead the fight against ISIS, will sit down with the president Tuesday to consider options that could lead to such success, he said.
But the details on how to get there still remain unclear. McDonough would not confirm that there was a single country that had pledged ground troops to the effort to degrade ISIS.
Meanwhile in an interview with CBS News' Face The Nation, Secretary John Kerry said there were countries that had offered to put boots on the ground, but wouldn't name names. "We're not looking to put troops on the ground," Kerry said. "There are some who have offered to do so, but we are not looking for that at this moment anyway."
The executive branch wants the focus to be on continuing to train the moderate Syrian rebels. McDonough expressed hope that Congress would give President Obama the support he needs to expand the program "to train and equip the Syrian opposition on the ground."
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