Middle East bound

Defense Secretary Ash Carter is heading to the Middle East in an aim to have coalition partners contribute more to the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, President Obama said Monday during a briefing at the Pentagon.

Obama said he has asked Carter to go to the Middle East for this purpose, and the defense secretary would depart after the press briefing. He also noted that Secretary of State John Kerry would be in Russia Tuesday to work to end the Syrian civil war.

The strategy against ISIL is working, Obama contended, listing a number of the organization's top leaders who have been killed. He noted that the message is clear that ISIL leaders cannot hide, and any one of them could be next.

Every day, more of ISIL's forces and training camps are destroyed, and the group has lost its freedom of maneuver in many places, Obama argued, noting that coalition forces have been hitting the organization harder than ever. So far, ISIL has lost about 40 percent of the populated areas they once controlled in Iraq, according to the president.

Obama's speech followed a meeting held at the Pentagon with his National Security Council.