Obama vows to hunt down terrorists
US President Barack Obama has vowed in his sixth State of the Union address to relentlessly hunt down “terrorists” from “Pakistan to the streets of Paris,” before calling on Congress to approve new war powers against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group. Obama argued on Tuesday that US military leadership in Iraq and Syria is stopping ISIL from advancing, but asked lawmakers “to show the world that we are united in this mission” with a war authorisation vote. Republican lawmakers have said they are prepared to work with him to pass such a measure, if he sends a proposal up to Capitol Hill. “Instead of getting dragged into another ground war in the Middle East, we are leading a broad coalition, including Arab nations, to degrade and ultimately destroy this terrorist group,” Obama said. “We’re also supporting a moderate opposition in Syria that can help us in this effort, and assisting people everywhere who stand up to the bankrupt ideology of violent extremism.