WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump is taking decisive steps to “defeat and destroy” ISIS, the White House has said, terming the destruction of the dreaded terror group’s capabilities a “humanitarian imperative”.

“The United States must take decisive action, and the President is taking the necessary steps,” the White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters at his daily news conference.

Last week, Trump has signed an executive order asking his national security team to prepare an action plan within 30 days to defeat ISIS. This comprehensive strategy and plan must include a recommendation to changes to any rules of engagement and other policy restrictions that exceed the requirements of international law regarding ISIS; public diplomacy, information operations and cyber strategies to isolate and delegitimatise ISIS and its radical Islamist ideology, he said. It also includes identification of new coalition partners in the fight against ISIS and policies to empower coalition partners to fight ISIS and its affiliates; mechanisms to cut off ISIS financial support, including financial transfers, money laundering, oil revenue, human trafficking, the sales of looted art, historical artifacts and other revenue sources; and a detailed strategy to robustly fund the plan, Spicer said. “This presidential memorandum is a profound statement that the President’s clear objective is to defeat and destroy ISIS and that we’re going to do it systematically,” said the White House Press Secretary. “This is not only a necessary step for America’s national security, it is also a humanitarian imperative. If ISIS is left in power, the threat it poses only grows,” he said. “We know it has attempted to develop chemical weapons capabilities. It maintains a goal of recruiting home-grown terrorists and its attacks against our allies and partners continue to mount,” Spicer said.–PTI