President Barack Obama will be in Tampa this week to discuss the U.S. strategy to combat Islamic militants.

President Obama is distinguishing the military campaign against Islamic State militants from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  He says the new fight must avoid what he calls mistakes of the past.

Obama says more nations are joining a coalition against the extremists.

President Obama will be in Tampa on Wednesday to visit the headquarters of U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base. He'll meet with military officials about the U.S. counterterrorism campaign against the Islamic State group.

Central Command oversees U.S. military efforts in the Middle East.

Muslim-majority countries are considered vital to any operation to prevent the militants from gaining more territory in Iraq and Syria. Western officials have made clear they consider Syrian President Bashar Assad part of the problem, and U.S. officials opposed France's attempt to invite Iran.

Gulf states, particularly Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have some of the region's best-equipped militaries, and they could theoretically provide air support to a broader international coalition. U.S. officials say the Emirates and Egypt were behind airstrikes against Islamist-backed militants in Libya last month.