Hillary Clinton said Saturday night during the Democratic presidential debate that her strategy to counter the Islamic State will be to defeat and not just contain it in an apparent criticism of President Obama's recent declaration that the jihadist group has been contained.
Clinton made her statement in response to a question posed by moderator David Muir, who asked the Democratic frontrunner how she would address the threat of terrorist attacks on the U.S. homeland like the recent ISIS-inspired shooting in San Bernardino, California.
Discussing her proposed ISIS policy, Clinton said at the start of her answer, "I have a plan that I've put forward to go after ISIS, not to contain them but to defeat them." She then explained how she wants to take away the group's territory in Iraq and Syria, dismantle its global network, and take steps to keep the American people safe at home.
Clinton's comment may be a subtle shot at President Obama's declaration on November 12 that ISIS has been contained, which occurred one day before the jihadist group carried out coordinated terror attacks in Paris, killing 130 people and wounding hundreds more.
The president's statement and broader ISIS strategy received widespread criticism after the Paris assault, especially when Gen. Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told lawmakers less than three weeks later that the group had not been contained. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter echoed this sentiment just over a week later.
Clinton also called for more coordination between the federal government and private sector technology companies to track terrorists at home through their social media activity.
She concluded her answer by saying that the U.S. needs to work closer with American Muslims and "not demonize them as the Republicans have been doing."