WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says the participation of five Arab nations in airstrikes against militants in Syria “makes it clear to the world this is not America’s fight alone.”

Obama says the joint fight against the Islamic State will take time but is vital to the security of the United States, the Mideast and the world.

The U.S.-Arab airstrikes Monday night targeted the group’s headquarters in eastern Syria.

Obama say the U.S. is “proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder” with Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates in conducting the strikes.

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