From NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Speer.Degrade and destroy -?the?Obama administration says that's what it intends to do to the Islamic State,the Sunni extremist group carrying out a brutal campaign in Iraq and Syria.The same group is blamed in the beheading of two American journalists.Today Vice President Joe Biden had especially scathing remarks for the group as NPR's Scott Horsley?reports.?Vice President Biden spoke in Portsmouth, New Hampshire,not far from the hometown of journalist James Foley,who was murdered by militants from the Islamic State two weeks ago.Now militants have released a video showing the grisly killing of a second journalist, Steven Sotloff.Biden says the American people are resolved, not to retreat nor forget the killers who are responsible.We will follow them to the gates of hell until they are brought to justicebecause hell is where they will reside, hell is where they will reside.Speaking earlier in Estonia President Obama vowed to build a coalition to degrade and destroy the militant group behind the beheadings.Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed a plan for peace in eastern Ukraine.NPR's Corey Flintoff saysRussia still insists it's not a party to the fighting there.Putin told reporters that his views on ending the violence are very close to those of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.The Putin plan calls for pro-Russian militants in the east to stop their recent advances.It will require the Ukrainian army to withdraw its artillery out of range of region's major cities.
