Last night, President Barack Obama addressed the nation in regard to his plan to “degrade, and ultimately destroy, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant through a comprehensive and sustained counter-terrorism strategy.” The president has chosen this date carefully — the eve of the 13th anniversary of 9/11. Subsequently, the timing of the speech conjures up memories of a different Islamic terrorist organization and past threats to homeland security. But the timing is aimed at uniting the country against a brutal terrorist group that  has attempted to intimidate Americans through violence, and is destroying a region that America has vested interests. While Obama has not had the country’s full support when it comes to drone use, his choice to directly address the American people instead of Congress is indicative of his continued attempts to involve the public.

Last August, the American public was opposed to military action in Syria by a margin of three to one and the government’s actions followed public sentiment. Although ISIL — a Sunni militant group attempting to establish an Islamic caliphate across Syria and Iraq — is undoubtedly a dangerous group, the issue at hand is whether it threatens U.S. interests.  A recent poll  indicated that 90 percent of the American people feel that it does. Correspondingly, American consensus is in favor of military action: Americans now support it by a margin of four to one.  In his speech, Obama said we will “take out ISIL wherever they exist, using our air power and our support for partner forces on the ground.” The government has decided ISIL not only threatens U.S. interests, but also does so to an extent that warrants military action.

Ryan Crocker, former U.S. ambassador to Syria, has referred to ISIL as “a mortal [and] an existential enemy.” The group has been enforcing Sunni extremism in their controlled regions, where anyone with a different ideology has been severely persecuted. It is indubious that America must take leadership in defeating the terrorist group. As Crocker suggests, ISIL is a bigger threat to the security of the West than al-Qaeda because ISIL not only is more numerous and better armed, but also recruits more Western fighters than any other terrorist organizations does.

Defeating ISIL requires both military strikes against their strongholds and the cooperation of the Iraqi government, both of which cannot be achieved without American leadership. So far, Obama has been making a “steady, relentless effort” against the extremist group. However, as ISIL forces grow larger and pose a greater threat, Obama must remember to continue explaining his military choices to the American public in order to avoid mistrust.

A version of this article appeared in the Thursday, Sept. 11 print edition. E-mail the WSN Editorial Board at [email protected].