Washington regards the two countries as allies despite their fecundity when it comes to producing terrorists; instead, the USA imposed war on Iraq and Syria, and President Obama spoke expansively about the developments in those countries.
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During the course of the near quarter-hour address, Obama outlined the most important goals of the United States in the campaign against IS, though offered very little explanation as to how such goals would be achieved.
The shooting in San Bernardino, California, left 14 dead and has once-again rekindled debate and fear over terrorism in the United States.
“The threat from terrorism is real, but we will overcome it”, said President Obama.
President Obama in his presidential speech from Oval office condemned the attack in California and said that the act was an act of terrorism.
“We can not turn against one another by letting this fight be defined as a war between America and Islam”, said Mr Obama, adding, “That does not mean denying the fact that an extremist ideology has spread within some Muslim communities”.
He’s called the shooting an “act of terrorism created to kill innocent people”.
Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton highlighted those concerns earlier Sunday, pressing Obama to do more in the fight against ISIS.
In a related development, White House officials are studying ways to use the president’s executive authority to close what they consider a legal loophole that allows people at gun shows to buy firearms each year without background checks. All Western societies now feel at risk from the violence of the Islamic State and its followers, even though the group’s capabilities are limited and it does not pose an existential threat in the long run.
Malik reportedly made a pledge of allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on Facebook.
US Attorney General Loretta Lynch said the “inspired-terrorist model” was becoming more prevalent and in some ways harder to prevent.
He also reminded the American people that ISIL and other radical terrorists do not speak for all Muslims, nor do their values represent the religion of Islam.
All of this might seem like an incurable cancer, the president said. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, have also called for a war vote against ISIS, saying that “initiating new military hostilities in a sustained basis in Iraq obligates the president to go back to Congress and to make the case to seek congressional authorization”, while Sen.
The FBI is investigating the massacre as a terrorist attack that, if proved, would be the deadliest by Islamic extremists on American soil since September 11, 2001.
Did the San Bernardino terrorists have ties to worldwide terrorism?
The president’s speech also came three days after Republicans in Congress defeated an amendment to ban those on no-fly lists from buying guns and he took advantage of the opportunity to challenge them, publicly urging congress “to act to make sure no one on a no-fly list is able to buy a gun”.
Given that the California couple were not on the USA national security radar before they launched their shooting spree on Wednesday, Obama faced the challenge of convincing the US public he is doing everything possible to deal with an evolving militant threat.
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After the speech, the president appeared as previously scheduled at the Kennedy Center Honors tribute in Washington.
