Trump targets violent Islamist groups as foreign policy priority

Trump, a Republican, used his inaugural address on Friday to promise to “unite the civilised world against radical Islamic terrorism, which we will eradicate completely from the face of the earth.”

In the statement, titled “America First Foreign Policy,” the Trump administration said, “Defeating ISIS and other radical Islamic terror groups will be our highest priority.” ISIS is an acronym for Islamic State.

In order to “defeat and destroy” Islamic State and similar groups, the new administration said it “will pursue aggressive joint and coalition military operations when necessary,” work to cut off funding for terrorist groups, expand intelligence sharing, and use “cyberwarfare” to disrupt propaganda and recruitment efforts.

The statement offered no indication of how Trump’s policies might differ from those of his predecessor, Barack Obama.

The Obama administration also pursued those broadly described strategies: working with European and Middle Eastern allies in a bombing campaign targeting Islamic State leaders and their oil infrastructure, authorising US special forces operations against the group, and using sanctions and other methods to cut off its financing.