Airstrikes in Syria? Obama outlining Mideast plans

WASHINGTON (AP) -- In a high-stakes address to the nation Wednesday night, President Barack Obama planned to outline a broad expansion of the U.S. military role in combating extremists in Iraq and Syria, including a call for arming Syrian opposition forces and potentially launching airstrikes in both countries.<br /> <br /> Obama has told congressional lawmakers that he has the authority to proceed with much of his plan without their formal approval. However, he is seeking authorization from Congress for the train-and-equip operation for Syrian rebels, a request he first made earlier this summer.<br /> <br /> House Republicans threw a potential roadblock in front of those plans Wednesday by not including the measure in a temporary funding measure. It was unclear whether Republicans were rejecting the request completely or would leave open another avenue.<br /> <br /> On the Senate floor, Democratic leader Harry Reid urged quick authorization of the president's request to help arm moderate opposition forces in Syria. He also backed another key element of Obama's proposal: the formation of a coalition of countries in Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere that would also contribute military and political assistance.<br /> <br /> "Going it alone is not going to work," Reid said. "We must have the support of the international community if we're to rid the world of ISIS" - an acronym for the Islamic State group.<br /> <br /> For Obama, a sustained U.S. intervention in the Middle East is at odds with the vision he had for the region when he ran for president on a pledge to end the war in Iraq, where the role of American fighting forces drew to a close nearly three years ago. The timing of his announcement Wednesday night was all the more striking, just hours before anniversary commemorations of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.<br /> <br /> Earlier Wednesday, Obama met with his national security advisers. He also spoke by phone with Saudi King Abdullah, ahead of a gathering of Arab leaders on their contributions to a global coalition against the Islamic State.