WASHINGTON (AP) — Facing a stubborn enemy, President Barack Obama professed confidence Wednesday that the U.S. will keep making progress against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, as the reality set in of a lengthy military conflict with limited prospects for success.

Flanked at the Pentagon by the top U.S. military brass, Obama said he was heartened to see that a broad international consensus had emerged that the Islamic State group poses a threat to the world’s security. He said nations across the globe have come to the conclusion “that their barbaric behavior has to be dealt with.”