U.S. gaining momentum on Islamic State, Obama says

The United States and allied forces have the Islamic State on the defensive, President Obama said Wednesday, with the terrorist group failing to mount a single offensive operation in Syria or Iraq since last summer.

"We have momentum, and we intend to keep that momentum," he said. "It’s harder than ever for them to move, and for them to amass forces."

In remarks after meeting with his National Security Council in at the CIA headquarters in Langley, Va. Wednesday, Obama hinted at no changes in U.S. strategy, saying the current military, intelligence and diplomatic efforts are depriving ISIL of fighters, money and leadership.

But he also said the ultimate solution has to be a diplomatic one. "The only way to truly destroy ISIL is to end the Syrian civil war that ISIL has exploited," he said.

Acknowledging recent terror attacks in Brussels, Turkey and Iraq, Obama condemned ISIL in some of his strongest language of late. "These depraved terrorists still have the ability to inflict horrific violence on the innocent, to the revulsion of the entire world," he said. "Their barbarism only stiffens our unity and determination to wipe this vile terrorist organization off the face of the Earth."

Obama meets with his National Security Council about once a week, but has also been taking a tour of its agencies in order to highlight their roles in defeating ISIL. The CIA visit was the first since he convened the National Security Council at the State Department in February, and he used the occasion to highlight the unsung work of intelligence services in fighting terrorism.

"They are working around the clock to keep us safe," he said. "They don’t get a lot of attention, but their work is tough and it is critical, and I rely on it, and everybody up here relies on it in order to make informed decisions and to protect the American people."