Updated 07:32 (MSK)
WASHINGTON, September 11 (RIA Novosti) - Decisions on airstrikes against the Islamic State (IS) targets in Syria will be made "at a prudent time," Pentagon said.
"The [US] president has made clear that he has the authority to strike ISIL wherever they are. The US military is ready to conduct direct action against ISIL targets in Syria," Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said.
"Decisions about when to conduct these actions will be made at a prudent time as we continue to prosecute our comprehensive strategy against these ISIL terrorists," he added.
In his address to the nation, US President Barack Obama did not rule out the possibility of conducting airstrikes against the IS targets in Syria.
"We will hunt down the terrorists that threaten our country wherever they are. That means I will not hesitate to take action against ISIL in Syria, as well as Iraq," Obama said.
He also announced that the United States "will lead a broad coalition" to roll back the IS terrorist threat.
The Islamic State, previously known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS or ISIL), is a Sunni extremist group that has been fighting the Syrian government since 2012. In June 2014, it started launching attacks in northern and western Iraq, capturing vast areas in the north of the country, including major cities and oilfields. Later that month, the radical militants seized the Iraqi city of Mosul and announced that they had established a caliphate on the territories under their control.
Early in August, US President Barack Obama gave the green light to US airstrikes on IS targets, saying the operation aims to protect US personnel in Iraq and prevent the "genocide" of Iraqi religious minorities. Experts, however, say that the US airstrikes may aggravate the situation and harm civilians.
