WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will travel to the Pentagon Thursday for a meeting on the fight against the Islamic State group, commonly known as ISIS or ISIL.
The visit comes as the Obama administration has launched a new campaign in Libya, with an eye on routing ISIS forces from their regional seat of power, the coastal city of Sirte.
Pentagon officials predict the Libya operation will take weeks to complete, with Cook saying Monday the department estimates there are less than 1,000 ISIS fighters in the city.
"On Thursday, President Obama will receive an update on the campaign when he holds a meeting of the National Security Council," Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said Monday. "That will take place here in the Pentagon. We look forward, of course, to his visit."
Obama has twice visited the building for discussions on the counter-ISIS fight. The first came in July, the second in December of 2015. In both cases, Obama delivered prepared remarks to the press following the meeting; it is expected he will do so again during this visit.
As of June 15 — the date of the most recent cost details released by the Pentagon – the military campaign against ISIS in Syria and Iraq has cost $8 billion. That breaks down to an average daily cost of $11.8 million for 678 days of operations. The US Air Force has shouldered 66 percent of that cost, by far the most among the services.
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Aaron Mehta was deputy editor and senior Pentagon correspondent for Defense News, covering policy, strategy and acquisition at the highest levels of the Defense Department and its international partners.
