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Obama speech evokes mixed reactions in Middle East

Countries and factions across the region have widely varying reactions to the president's strategy.
U.S. President Barack Obama delivers a live televised address to the nation on his plans for military action against the Islamic State, from the Cross Hall of the White House in Washington September 10, 2014.  REUTERS/Saul Loeb/Pool (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY CONFLICT) - RTR45R9F

A primetime presidential address aimed at uniting the American people in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) appears to have had the opposite effect in the Middle East. 

Countries and factions that on paper share the same goal of eradicating the extremist threat responded far differently to President Barack Obama's strategy, highlighting the difficulty in creating a united front. Frontline states Iran and Syria lambasted the administration for leaving them out of the equation, while pro-Western rebels urged the United States to ramp up its fight against President Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria and Kurdish groups demanded a far greater US and Western commitment.

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