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Kerry testifies before Senate panel on ISIS

Testifying before a Senate Committee, Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday the forces seeking to create an Islamic state ‘‘ must be defeated. Period. End of story.’’

There was little, if any dissent on that, but debate aplenty about the best way to accomplish it.

‘‘We simply don’t know if somewhere down the line it will turn our guns back against us,’’ said Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Calif., giving voice to a fear that rebels seeking the removal of Syrian president Bashar Assad would eventually prove unreliable allies.

Republican Rep. Tom McClintock of California expressed a different concern. ‘‘Committing insufficient force in any conflict is self-defeating, and airstrikes alone cannot win a war,’’ he said.

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Related: John Kerry vows better treatment for families of hostages

The day’s developments unfolded as Dempsey’s day-old remarks reverberated around the globe.

U.S. troops ‘‘will support Iraqi forces on the ground as they fight for their own country against these terrorists,’’ Obama told officers at U.S. Central Command, which oversees American military efforts in the Middle East. He added that ‘‘As your commander in chief, I will not commit you and the rest of our armed forces to fighting another ground war in Iraq.’’

Vice President Joe Biden, asked on a visit to Iowa about Dempsey’s comment on the use of ground troops, said the general’s ‘‘conclusion is that it is not needed now.’’ Biden added: ‘‘We'll determine that based on how the effort goes.’’

Pelosi told reporters the day’s House action ‘‘is not to be confused with any authorization to go further. ... I will not vote for combat troops to engage in war.’’

In Baghdad, Iraq’s new prime minister told The Associated Press in an interview that his government wants no part of a U.S. ground combat mission. ‘‘Not only is it not necessary; we don’t want them. We won’t allow them,’’ Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said.

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Controversy over a new military mission overshadowed what otherwise might have been a noteworthy accomplishment for a Congress marked by near-constant gridlock. Passage of the legislation would eliminate any possibility of a partial government shutdown like the one Republicans triggered a year ago by trying to zero out Obama’s health care program.

The measure also renews the charter of the Export-Import Bank, which helps finance purchases of U.S. exports. That postpones until next June a battle between tea party forces opposing the bank and business-oriented Republicans who support it.

The legislation also includes $88 million to combat the outbreak of Ebola in West Africa.