WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama Monday said the only way to defeat ISIS and end Syria’s civil war is through a government without Syrian President Bashar Assad, as he pledged to increase U.S. support for the moderate opposition in the war.

“In Syria, the only way that the civil war will end ... is an inclusive political transition to a new government without Bashar Assad, a government that serves all Syrians,” Obama told reporters.

Obama was addressing the media after a briefing at the Pentagon with top military brass and members of his national security team on efforts to dismantle the extremist group. The high-level talks came after coalition airstrikes that hit ISIS’ de facto capital Raqqa in Syria over the weekend.

“We’re intensifying our efforts against ISIS’ base in Syria. Our airstrikes will continue to target the oil and gas facilities that fund so much of their operations,” Obama told reporters.

“We’re going after the ISIS leadership and infrastructure in Syria, the heart of ISIS that pumps funds and propaganda to people around the world.”

But Obama cautioned the fight would likely face “setbacks.”

“This will not be quick. This is a long-term campaign,” he said, calling ISIS fighters “opportunistic” and “nimble.”

“In many places in Syria and Iraq, it’s dug in among an innocent civilian population. It will take time to root them out. As with any military effort, there will be periods of progress, but there are also going to be some setbacks.”

He said more than 5,000 airstrikes had been carried out against the group, eliminating “thousands of fighters, including senior ISIS commanders.”

Obama also said the United States would continue to crack down on ISIS illicit finance operations around the world.

There are no current plans to send additional U.S. troops overseas, he said, repeating that the fight against the militant group would not be quick.

Obama emphasized, as he has before, that with a strong partner on the ground in Iraq, the United States and its partners would be successful in defeating the militant group. He said training of such forces had been ramped up after a period that was too slow and that the fall of Ramadi had galvanized the Iraqi government.

“More Sunni volunteers are coming forward,” he said. “Some are already being trained and they can be a new force against ISIS. We continue to accelerate the delivery of critical equipment, including anti-tank weapons, to Iraqi security forces. And I have made it clear to my team that we will do more to train and equip the moderate opposition in Syria.”

Obama did not give details on what more the United States would do in that regard. He noted the threat of smaller attacks within the United States and said more needed to be done to prevent ISIS from recruiting followers within the U.S. homeland.

“Our efforts to counter violent extremism must not target any one community because of their faith or background, including patriotic Muslim Americans who are our partners in keeping our country safe,” he said.

“We also have to acknowledge that ISIS has been particularly effective at reaching out to and recruiting vulnerable people around the world, including here in the United States. And they are targeting Muslim communities around the world.”