Obama admits US 'underestimated threat from IS'

President Barack Obama has acknowledged that US intelligence agencies underestimated the threat from Islamic State militants and overestimated the ability and will of Iraq’s army to fight.

The president described the US intelligence assessments in response to a question during a CBS “60 Minutes” interview that was airing tonight. He was asked about how Islamic State fighters had come to control so much territory in Syria and Iraq and whether it was a surprise to him.