Via DC Examiner:

President Obama said on Monday “we are hitting ISIL” harder than ever, referring to the battle against the Islamic State, during an appearance at the Pentagon.

Obama, using harsher language than normal to describe the military campaign and referring to Islamic State leaders as as “thugs, thieves and killers,” also announced that he was dispatching Defense Secretary Ash Carter to the Middle East to encourage more regional allies to join or step up their efforts against the terror group.

He said that last month, coalition forces dropped more bombs since the campaign began. “We are taking out leaders one-by-one,” Obama said. “ISIL leaders cannot hide and our message to them is simple: You are next.”