Obama: Ebola and Islamic State are security priorities

10:44 p.m. EDT October 8, 2014   President Obama spoke with military leaders and other officials Wednesday about what he described as two threats from overseas: The Ebola virus and the Islamic State.

"At a time when there's so much turbulence in the world, never during my presidency has it become more apparent how good our military is," Obama said after meetings at the Pentagon that dealt with Ebola and the Islamic State.

Earlier, during a conference call with state and local officials nationwide, Obama said that Ebola is more than a public health or a humanitarian issue, it is "a national security priority."

Citing the death of a man in Dallas from Ebola, Obama explained new airport screening procedures to the officials, and urged them to make sure the rules are followed.

"As we saw in Dallas, we don't have a lot of margin for error," Obama said. "If we don't follow protocols and procedures that are put in place, then we're putting folks in our communities at risk."

Obama also discussed anti-Ebola plans in meetings at the Pentagon, which has dispatched thousands of troops to West Africa to help governments there contain the epidemic.

The military is helping construct medical facilities, creating what Obama called "an infrastructure that does not exist in order to facilitate the transport of personnel and equipment and supplies to deal with this deadly epidemic and disease."

The president also met at the Pentagon with military leaders and his national security team, primarily to discuss ongoing efforts to roll back the Islamic State from positions in Iraq and Syria.

The meetings took place as the Islamic State sought to seize the Syrian town of Kobani, near the border with Turkey.

Obama said he and his military leadership also discussed challenges in Europe and the Asia-Pacific regions, as well as budget issues.

Speaking with reporters after his meetings, Obama said he is confident that the United States and its allies will be able to defeat the Islamic State.

The president has authorized airstrikes against Islamic State positions in Iraq and Syria. His plan calls for training local forces to carry out ground operations against the Islamic State.

"Our strikes continue alongside our partners," Obama said. "It remains a difficult mission. As I've indicated from the start, this is not something that is going to be solved overnight."

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