Obama admits US underestimated threat posed by IS

United States President Barack Obama has reportedly admitted that the U.S. intelligence officials had "underestimated" the threat posed by the Islamic State (IS) and overestimated the Iraqi army's capacity to defeat the group.

While speaking at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundations 44th Annual Legislative Conference Phoenix Awards Dinner in Washington on Sunday, Obama said that the militants went "underground" after being crushed in Iraq and regrouped amid the Syrian civil war, reported Fox News.

He also acknowledged that the U.S. is dealing with a conundrum in Syria, as the military campaign to combat the group is helping Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who the U.N. has accused of war crimes but added that America will not stabilize the nation under Assad's rule.

However, Obama said that the threat posed by the IS and other terror groups like, Khorasan, are a more immediate concern for the U.S. that has to be dealt with.

While underlining the importance of military force to shrink the militant group's capacity, cutting off financing and eliminating the flow of foreign fighters, Obama called for political solutions as well. He stressed on the need for policies that accommodate the aspirations of both Sunnis and Shias.