Obama vows justice for Foley as US surveillance planes enter Syria

US President Barack Obama vowed justice for the American journalist, executed by Islamic State militants, one week after the video of his killing was released by the militant group. 

"We have proved time and time again we will do what’s necessary to capture those who harm Americans," Obama said to loud applause while addressing the American Legion's National Convention in North Carolina on Tuesday. "Our message to anyone who harms our people is simple: America does not forget, our reach is long, we are patient, justice will be done." 

On 19 August, the militant group uploaded a video onto YouTube that has since been authenticated by US intelligence to be that of the beheading of journalist James Foley. He was seized in November 2012 in northwestern Syria, and was held hostage since. His killing was allegedly carried out in retribution for US airstirkes in Iraq which began against IS militants earlier this month. 

Led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Islamic State has declared a caliphate that straddles parts of Syria and Iraq, and has driven an estimated 1.2 million Iraqis from their homes.  

The insurgents have particularly targeted Shiite Muslims, Turkmen, Yazidis, and Christians. 

Iraqi and Kurdish forces have made some gains against the group with the backing of US airstrikes, most notably retaking Mosul dam, Iraq's largest, from the militants. 

Eliminating the group outright, however, will likely be a longer-term commitment, Obama stressed.  

"Rooting out a cancer like [Islamic State] won’t be easy and it won’t be quick," Obama said. "But tyrants and murderers before them should recognise that kind of hateful vision ultimately is no match for the strength and hopes of people who stand together for the security and dignity and freedom that is the birth right of every human being."

US surveillance over Syria

As a corollary to Obama’s statement, the United States has also announced that it has begun reconnaissance flights over Syria to track IS movements. However, the US stressed that it has "no plans" to coordinate with Syria on targeting the militants.

Numerous sources said foreign drones had been seen, with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reporting that "non-Syrian spy planes" on Monday carried out surveillance of IS positions in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor.

The surveillance is seen as a precursor to possible US air strikes on IS positions, similar to those being carried out in neighbouring Iraq.

The US rejection for any coordination comes after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime said on Monday it was willing to work with the international community, including Washington, to tackle extremist fighters.

But American officials have long insisted that they did not plan to coordinate with Damascus, despite Syrian insistence that any military action on its soil must be discussed in advance.

"There are no plans to coordinate with the Assad regime as we consider this terror threat," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in Washington on Tuesday.

Syria targets IS

The US began air raids against IS in neighbouring Iraq on 8 August, in a bid to roll back its advances. It said that two air strikes near Irbil on Tuesday destroyed two IS armed vehicles and damaged another.

But US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey has acknowledged that the group cannot be defeated "without addressing that part of the organisation that resides in Syria".

The White House says no decision has been taken on whether to carry out air strikes in Syria, although US aircraft have already entered Syrian airspace covertly at least once, on a failed mission to rescue hostages, including Foley.

Last week, IS cemented its control over Raqa province, seizing the Tabqa military airport - the last outpost controlled by the Syrian military - in a battle that killed hundreds. The battle was the latest between IS and Assad troops that had long avoided full on altercations, likely for strategic reasons. The group has also advanced in recent days in northern Aleppo province and controls territory in the oil-rich eastern province of Deir Ezzor. 

Rebel forces, however, have managed to launch a small counteroffensive against IS. A joint attack by Syrian opposition groups in Aleppo killed 45 Islamic State militants on Tuesday, a spokesman for one of the groups said.

Salih Anadani, a spokesman for the Islamic Front in Aleppo, said the Islamic Front, together with three other armed Islamist groups, conducted a joint operation.

Syrian war planes also launched at least 12 raids using precision rockets against IS positions in Deir Ezzor on Tuesday, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights NGO.