JUDY WOODRUFF:
The president responded by saying, “At some point, I’m going to fight, and it’s not going to be pretty.”
In turn, McCain said, “I have faced tougher opponents.”
In Afghanistan, Taliban bombings and shootings left at least 74 dead today. The worst hit was Paktika province in the east, where two car bombs killed dozens, including the provincial police chief, and wounded more than 100 others. Taliban militants have also carried out attacks in the south and west of the country.
In Syria, US-backed militia forces say they have retaken the de facto capital of the Islamic State group. The city of Raqqa had been under ISIS control since 2014. The battle to retake it began in June. Today, Kurdish-led fighters celebrated as they moved into the city center. The US military said 90 percent of Raqqa had been taken, with pockets of militants remaining.
There is word that US airstrikes in Yemen killed dozens of Islamic State fighters on Monday. The strikes were apparently carried out by drones. The Pentagon says the targets were training camps for recruits.
In Northern Iraq, Kurdish forces withdrew from more territory today, as Iraqi government troops advanced. It came in the wake of the Kurds’ vote for independence. Federal forces and allied militias had already forced the Kurds to leave the area in Kirkuk and around its oil fields.
The Iraqi prime minister said this paves the way for talks.
