The Struggle Against the Islamic State

Shi'ite fighters, who have joined the Iraqi army to fight against militants of the Islamic State take part in field training in the desert in the province of Najaf, Sept. 16, 2014.

Smoke rises from a recent U.S. air strike on Islamic State militant positions in Khazir, on the edge of Mosul, Sept. 16, 2014.

Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga troops load rockets into a launcher during fighting with Islamic State militants in Khazir, Sept. 16, 2014.

Smoke rises on the horizon after American air strikes, in Khazir, Sept. 16, 2014.

Senate Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell speaks to reporters after the Republican party policy luncheon in the Capitol, in Washington, Sept. 16, 2014.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel testifies during the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on U.S. policy toward Iraq and Syria and the threat posed by the Islamic State on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Sept. 16, 2014.

An anti-war protester is escorted out of the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing by a police officer, in Washington, Sept. 16, 2014

Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee gather to hear from Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel in Washington, Sept. 16, 2014.