The official said the planes took off from the French carrier Charles de Gaulle. The group appears to now be focusing on targets outside its base in Syria and Iraq, including attacks in Lebanon and Turkey and the downing of a Russian airliner over Egypt.
Advertisement
Some 140 to 150 heads of state or government are due to attend.
“What happened in Paris was truly horrific”, he said before pivoting to concerns about terrorism occurring in the US “I understand that people worry that something similar could happen here”.
President Barack Obama is offering a harsh assessment of Russia’s role as he addresses the global effort to fight the Islamic State.
“Russia’s the outlier”, he added, noting that strikes against moderate opposition fighters “bolster the Assad regime”. “Russian Federation right now is a coalition of two – Iran and Russian Federation supporting Assad”.
Obama noted his skepticism about Russia’s commitment to the anti-ISIS fight during a trip to East Asia last week.
Mr. Obama said the U.S.is still gathering facts of the shoot-down, but said Turkey “has a right to defend its territory and its airspace”.
The president spoke during a joint news conference with French President Francois Hollande.
President Obama on Tuesday vowed to work even more with allies like France to prevent further terrorist attacks from groups like the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
The two men greeted each other briefly before the cameras as they kicked off their Oval Office meeting, with Obama telling Hollande he was glad to host him. “We do not want to exclude anyone”.
Another aspect of the anti-ISIS fight that Obama will likely underscore with Hollande is the influx of Syrian refugees who are seeking resettlement in both leaders’ nations. But he acknowledged Tuesday that there was a need to tighten Europe’s open borders.
“U.S assistance has supported (French) airstrikes in Syria and we will continue to step up that coordination”, he said. He’ll meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel Wednesday. But the USA contends Moscow is going after rebels fighting Assad, a Kremlin ally whom the US wants pushed out.
“The question at this point is whether they (Russia) can make the strategic adjustment that allows them to be effective partners with us”, Obama said Sunday. Hollande is trying to get the big worldwide players – mainly the US, Russian Federation and Germany – on the same page.
Hollande said the US and France had agreed to broaden strikes in Iraq and Syria and increase intelligence sharing.
Obama is calling it a “barbaric terrorist group”.
“The United States and France stand united, in total solidarity, to deliver justice to these terrorists”, the USA president said.
The president also says the attacks that killed 130 in Paris was an attack on the world itself.
French President François Hollande is accompanied by U.S. Deputy Chief of Protocol Natalie Jones, upon his arrival at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., on Tuesday.
Advertisement
Two-thirds of Americans, meanwhile, believe the administration lacks a clear plan to defeat ISIS, according to a CBS News poll released Monday.
