Defense Secretory Ash Carter is on his way to the middle east to try to persuade US allies there to put more resources into the fight against Islamic State. NPR's Scott Horsley reports the mission comes after President Obama met with Defense Secretory and other members of his national security team at the Pentagon.

President Obama declare that US and its allies are hitting ISIS harder than ever, targeting individual leaders as well as oil infrastructure. They provide critical funding for the terrorist group. Obama says the ISIS or ISIL has been losing ground in Iraq and Syria. The group remains dog in. and there is a difficult fight ahead.

We recognize that progress needs to keep coming faster. No one knows that more than countless Syrian and Iraqis living everyday under ISIL's terror, as well as the families in San Bernardino and parents in elsewhere who were grieving the loss of their loved ones.  Poll suggests many Americans are not satisfied with the pace of counter-ISIS campaign. Scott Horsley, NPR news, the White House.