Obama Says U.S. Not Losing Fight to Islamic State, But Warns of 'Multi-Year' Campaign

U.S. President Barack Obama recently spoke out regarding progress made in defeating the terrorist group the Islamic State, saying that although the U.S. is winning the fight against the terror group, there have been setbacks and Americans should expect the U.S.-led fight against the Islamic State to span several years.

Questions regarding the United States' effectiveness in fighting the terror group have been raised after the Islamic State successfully overtook the Iraqi city of Ramadi, the capital of the country's largest Anbar province.

"I don't think we're losing," the president told The Atlantic in a recent interview, after the Islamic State successfully overtook the city of Ramadi.

"There's no doubt there was a tactical setback, although Ramadi had been vulnerable for a very long time, primarily because these are not Iraqi security forces that we have trained or reinforced. They have been there essentially for a year without sufficient reinforcements, and the number of ISIL [ISIS] that have come into the city now are relatively small compared to what happened in [the Iraqi city of] Mosul," the president added.

Along with Ramadi, the Islamic State recently overtook the Syrian city of Palmyra, an ancient city housing several artifacts of historic importance to the Iraqi culture.

Following the seize of Palmyra, locals shared photos of Islamic State militants allegedly decapitating members of the pro-Assad militia in the streets.

The United Nations' UNESCO agency spoke out against the terrorists' seizure of Palmyra, saying that the massive amount of ancient artifacts and pieces of art will likely be trafficked by the Islamic State in exchange for funds.