President Barack Obama’s national security team believes there is “no specific, credible threat” to the United States from Islamic State, the White House said Tuesday, amid stepped up coalition strikes on the extremist group. He added that it was Russian Federation that used Turkey-Syria border to carry out its air activity, which resulted in such a huge mishap. The deadly attacks in Paris brought forth fears of terrorism to the United States and also solidarity with the people of France.
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Obama just returned to Washington on Monday after a trip to Turkey, Malaysia and the Philippines.
“I think we have to put down our differences – ISIS is our greatest threat – and work together in whatever way we can”.
President Francois Hollande will meet Putin as part of a diplomatic push for improved global cooperation against Islamic State following attacks by the militant group that killed 130 people in Paris on November 13.
“Russia is the outlier”, Obama said during a White House news conference with Hollande. “We will win and groups like ISIL will lose”.
“We must destroy Daesh wherever it is, cut its financial resources, hunt down its leaders, dismantle its networks and reconquer the territory it controls”.
Calling for a “joint response”, Hollande said France and USA would “scale up our strikes both in Syria and in Iraq to broaden our scope to strengthen our intelligence sharing regarding the targets”.
The United Nations Security Council passed a France-sponsored resolution Friday, sending a message from world powers to the worldwide community to “redouble and coordinate” programmes to suppress terrorist acts by “all necessary measures”.
As the French uncover more information about the suspected mastermind behind the terror attacks in Paris, President Barack Obama is vowing the US will offer more of the same in the fight against ISIS.
“If we’re talking about France sending an entire regiment or brigade to Syria, it certainly could not do that without USA help”, Shurkin said.
“I will ask President Putin, as I’ve done before … that the strikes must be against Daesh (Islamic State), against terrorism”, Hollande said.
Obama said Russian cooperation in the fight against the Islamic State would be “enormously helpful”.
“You don’t see President Obama grasping for that role; you see him laying back a bit”.
“We had that after 9/11, and we need to show it to other countries”, he said.
Obama said Tuesday that Turkey has a right to defend its air space, but also urged the two countries to communicate better to de-escalate tensions as Russian Federation continues operations near the Turkish-Syrian border.
Obama and Hollande joined UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in warning against any escalation. “That would be extremely damaging”.
The downing of the Russian jet by Turkey took place at a vulnerable time when the relationship between North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and Russia has become at its worse since the Cold War.
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However, the Republican Congressman said the blame doesn’t end with the Russians.
