Obama said in an interview with NBC news that “the problem for Sunni states in the region, many of whom are our allies, is not simply Iran. It’s not simply a Sunni-Shia issue,” he added.

“Sunni extremism, as represented by ISIL, is the biggest danger that they face right now. And with that understanding, it gives us the capacity for them to start getting more active and more involved.”

Obama will tell Americans in a speech Wednesday his plans to combat ISIL Takfiri terrorists in the Middle East.

Obama will outline his plan after meeting Tuesday in the Oval Office with Capitol Hill leaders.

“What I’m going to ask the American people to understand is that this is a serious threat,” Obama told NBC. “We have the capacity to deal with it, and here’s how we’ll deal with it. This will require some resources above what’s already in there.”

“Well, I think that it is absolutely true that we’re going to need Sunni states to step up, not just Saudi Arabia, our partners like Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey. They need to be involved. This is their neighborhood. The dangers that are posed are – are more directed at them right now than they are us.”

“And that’s part of the conversation that John Kerry’s going to be having this week. I sent him there after we left – the NATO meeting in Wales. And the good news is, I think, for the, perhaps the first time, you have absolute clarity that the problem for Sunni states in the region, many of whom are our allies, is not simply Iran. It’s not simply a Sunni-Shia issue,” Obama said.

The US president added that “Sunni extremism, as represented by ISIL, is the biggest danger that they face right now. And with that understanding, it gives us the capacity for them to start getting more active and more involved.”

BA/BA