What can be done to stop Isis?

President Barack Obama and David Cameron have formed a 'core coalition' of ten nations to confront the threat posed by Isis and Mr Obama is due to outline his strategy for dealing with Isis on Wednesday.The President has vowed "justice will be served" against the extremist group following the beheadings of two American journalists, while the UK has pledged to consider "every option possible" to protect the life of a British hostage currently being threatened by the group.As the West considers its response to Isis, we look at actions the US and UK are examining in their bid to tackle the group.Military optionsThe US is currently conducting limited air strikes at specific Isis targets in Iraq. This is risky, as only attacking Isis in one region could simply lead to it regrouping in Syria, so expanding air strikes across the border is also something that is being considered by America.Jane Kinninmont, the deputy head of Chatham House's Middle East Programme, told The Independent that the military response will be one of the most significant options being considered by both the US and the UK.Ms Kinninmont said: “In terms of military aims, air strikes have been quite effective so far, in that they have pushed Isis back and allowed forces to re-take strategically important areas such as Mosul dam.“That has been helped by the fact they are carrying out air strikes in coordination with fighting on the ground by Kurdish forces."However, she said one of the problems surrounding a military response is that the people who should be leading the fight against Isis are the Iraqi army, who have struggled to do so.The Iraqi government has been urging the West to conduct air strikes because its army is struggling to combat Isis due to a lack of training and a “serious morale problem”, among other factors.Ms Kinninmont said: "Some troops have not been confident in their ability to fight Isis and win. This exposed the weakness of the army and in turn lowered its morale, and that is a vicious circle.“Some of the Iraqi politicians are hoping that if US air strikes turn the tide against Isis then the Iraqi army will turn it around and become more successful in combating them.”Kurdish forces, which have been helped by arms they have received from the US, have been more aggressive and more successful in tackling militants.The Government announced on Tuesday it will donate heavy machine guns and ammunition to Kurdish troops, with a shipment worth £1.6 million due to arrive on Wednesday.“They have been motivated to fight and will fight to the death for their territory, " she said. "They are now asking for more arms and to receive them more quickly, and that is something the UK is thinking about at the minute.“They are the most motivated force to fight Isis but throwing a lot of weapons is still a risk, so UK will also consider complicating factors. This is seen as one of the better options."Political optionsThere has been a renewed push for peace talks in Syria from both the UK and US, and this time the West should expect to see more support from countries in the region, says Ms Kinninmont.“The thing about Isis is that all countries are worried about it because it is ideologically opposed to all the existing states, including the Gulf states,” she explained.(independent.co.uk)Bakudaily.Az