Obama: Expect ‘setbacks’ in ISIS fight

President Obama on Tuesday warned that there would be periodic “setbacks” in the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) as the administration faces criticism over its strategy.

“This is going to be a long-term campaign, there are no quick fixes involved,” Obama said after a meeting with coalition military leaders at Joint Base Andrews, adding that there were “going to be periods of progress and setbacks.”

{mosads}The president acknowledged that the terror network, which controls large swaths of land in Iraq and Syria, did not present a “classic” military challenge.

“What we’re also fighting is ideological,” he said, while pledging that the U.S. and the rest of the 60 nations participating in the effort against ISIS were “united in our goal.”

The meeting with international military leaders, top White House officials and top Pentagon brass was held amid new fears that ISIS is still making gains in both Iraq and Syria, despite a U.S.-led bombing campaign.

The terror group reportedly captured a military training camp in western Iraq and lobbed bombs at Baghdad suburbs, sparking concerns the Iraqi military is not up to the fight.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno said Tuesday he was only “somewhat” confident Iraqi forces could hold their capital.

“We’ll have to see what plays out over the coming days,” he said.

But the White House maintained that, despite some of the troubling news, the president’s plan against ISIS was “succeeding.”

“We’re in the early days of the execution of that strategy,” said press secretary Josh Earnest on Tuesday. “But certainly, the early evidence indicates that this strategy is succeeding.”

Earnest pointed out that U.S. humanitarian missions successfully protected Iraqi minorities under siege from ISIS and had also driven the group from a pair of crucial dams.

But he also conceded that, without ground forces, the U.S. would not be able to prevent all ISIS advances.

“I don’t think anybody has sought to leave you or anyone else with the impression that these kinds of airstrikes were going to dramatically reverse the situation on the battlefield overnight. They won’t. We’ve been pretty candid about the fact that this is a longer-term proposition,” Earnest said.