Ex-aide says Barack Obama’s strategy boosted Islamic State

Washington: The White House has rejected the criticism of Barack Obama by his ex-Defence Secretary Leon Panetta who claimed that the US President lacks the passion to lead.

About his new book Worthy Fights: A Memoir of Leadership in War and Peace, Panetta argues that decisions made by President Obama over the past three years about the Islamic State have made the battle more difficult.

His assessment immediately drew strong reaction from the White House. “I think the President himself is the person that is setting the agenda. It’s the President himself who is building this broad, international coalition,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said.

Earnest said the US was confident that this international effort will succeed in implementing the strategy that Obama has laid out. Earnest said Obama was also proud to have Panetta serve as CIA chief.