United States President Barack Obama said Sunday that America has underestimated the Islamic State, also know as ISIL or Daesh, and overestimated the capacity of Iraqi forces to fight the terror group.

During an interview with CBS' 60 Minutes, Obama acknowledged that fighting Daesh indirectly aids Syrian President Bashar Assad whom the UN has accused of committing war crimes.

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Though recognizing the contradiction, he still believes the immediate threats Daesh and Khorasan pose are more pressing.

The president said in the interview that at the height of the Syrian civil war -- when huge swathes of the country were left unattended -- Daesh went underground after being defeated in Iraq. It was then that the terror group took advantage of the chaos to reconstitute itself.

U.S. intelligence had underestimated the Syrian conflict and conversely overestimated the Iraq army's strength and their ability to sustain the momentum with which the U.S. had helped them achieve, he added, citing National Intelligence Director James Clapper during an earlier interview with the Washington Post.

The President noted the necessity of military force in destroying Daesh by regaining control of seized lands, cutting off weapons and financial backing, and eliminating the flow of foreign fighters.

He called for a sustainable political solution to ensure peace in Iraq and Syria, adding that the task would take time, especially in an environment that places more import on whether one is Sunni or Shia rather than on getting a good education or job.

The U.S. and its partners in the Gulf and the West have been launching air strikes on Daesh locations in Iraq and Syria primarily to aid Iraqi and Kurdish troops battling against Daesh militants on the ground.

Obama stressed that U.S. combat troops will not be deployed to the region, but noted some 1,600 American advisers and spec ops soldiers he sent to Iraq. While he acknowledged the danger posed to the advisers on the ground, he said it was different than sending American soldiers to lead the fight.

Washington intends to train and equip Syrian and Iraqi fighters deal with Daesh on the ground.

"...those folks could kill Americans," he added.

Ultimately, Obama said the country's initiatives are primarily aimed at assisting Iraq.

America will lead the international coalition to aid a partner because "we are the indispensable nation." When there is international conflict, "they don't call Beijing, they don't call Moscow, they call us," he said.

TagsIraq, CBS 60 Minutes, Barack Obama, Bashar Assad, James Clapper, war on terrorism, U.S.-led air strikes