WASHINGTON
U.S. President Barack Obama told congressional leaders that he has the authority he needs to take action against Islamic State militants, ahead of a nationally televised address Wednesday in which he will lay out the mission against the insurgent group.
Obama met with leaders of Congress leaders Tuesday as he promised last weekend that he would consult them before he revealed the roadmap against the militants.
A White House statement read that the president told Congress that he would not need their approval to move against IS.
"The President told the leaders that he has the authority he needs to take action against ISIL in accordance with the mission he will lay out in his address tomorrow night," said the statement.
The Islamic State was formerly known as Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL.
Obama noted, however, that congressional support would be effective to combat a national security threat like IS.
Obama indicated that, “he would welcome action by the Congress that would aid the overall effort and demonstrate to the world that the United States is united in defeating the threat from ISIL."
The White House has been working on a multipronged approach to expand its operations against the militants, including political, military and economic actions.
Armed groups linked to the IS have captured large amounts of territory in Iraq in recent months, forcing thousands to fleeof Iraqis to flee, including Turkmen, Arabs and Yazidis.
As the U.S. works to form an international coalition to fight and uproot the IS threat in the Middle East, it has conducted more than 100 airstrikes across Iraq against IS targets since Obama authorized an air campaign in the region in early August.
Syrian opposition may have sold beheaded journalist
A spokesman for the family of an American journalist beheaded by Islamic State militants, claims the family has information that he was sold by moderate Syrian opposition fighters to the terror group.
Barak Barfi, a representative for the family of Steven Sotloff, said moderate Syrian opposition fighters sold the 31-year-old journalist to IS for $25,000 to $50,000.
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest gave a noncommital answer to the claims.
"As it relates to the specifics of this matter, based on the information that has been provided to me, I don’t believe that is accurate," Josh Earnest said at the White House press briefing.
Earnest said that the claim is currently subject to an FBI investigation. "So this is something that they’re looking into all aspects of this, including how Mr. Sotloff may have come into the hands of ISIL," Earnes said.
Islamic State was formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL.
Barfi told CNN on Tuesday that sources on the ground told the family that Sotloff had just crossed the Syrian border when rebels who were “supposedly moderate” stopped his group.
However, Earnest said the Islamic State is the only group to be hold responsible for the killing as they claimed responsibility for the brutal beheading.
As the U.S. supports and plans to give additional support to the moderate opposition in Syria these latest claims will fan the flames of criticism against the Obama administration.
Prior to Sotloff’s killing, IS militant released a video on the Internet that showed the beheading of another American journalist, James Foley.
Sotloff was shown in the video that captured Foley’s murder. In that recording, a militant said that Sotloff would be killed if the U.S. does not stop strikes against the group in Iraq.
In Sotloff's video that was also released on the Internet, the group threatens to kill British national David Haines if the U.K. does not stop cooperating with the U.S. against the insurgent group.
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