国际英语新闻:Islamic State Takes Palmyra, Gains Control of Syria-Iraq Border

Meanwhile on Thursday, the Islamic State pushed out Iraqi government forces east of the Iraqi city of Ramadi which they overran on Sunday after Iraqi forces retreated.

"There's no doubt there was a tactical setback," Obama said about the loss of Ramadi, adding that the city "had been vulnerable for a very long time, primarily because these are not Iraqi security forces that we have trained or reinforced."

Obama said the "training of Iraqi security forces, the fortifications, the command-and-control systems are not happening fast enough in Anbar, in the Sunni parts of the country."
 
Warren told reporters that sandstorms did not impact the coalition’s ability to conduct airstrikes in Ramadi, but that Iraqi forces believed the weather would prevent them from receiving air support.
 
When asked by VOA whether it was the Iraqis on the ground that did not effectively communicate the need for strikes or the Americans in the operations base that did not effectively communicate the ability to conduct strikes in the weather, Warren said it was “unclear.”
 
New weapons
 
Warren said the United States would deliver 2,000 AT-4 anti-tank rockets to Iraq as early as next week..
 
“The key to weapons is matching the weapon to the threat,” Warren said. “We believe the AT-4 is a very good match to counter that particular threat.”
 
He said the AT-4s are simple, man-portable and can be used with a minimum amount of training. When small arms are used to stop a car bomb, the fighter has to either disable the engine or kill the driver. This anti-armor system can immediately destroy the weapon.
 
Republican Senator John McCain told VOA the AT-4 is not a sufficient plan.

"It’s a bandaid on an artery that is hemorrhaging. We need to have a policy and a strategy. That is what we don’t have,” McCain said. “Sending some weapons won’t do the job.”