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Obama: Large US troop deployment against IS ‘a mistake’

President Barack Obama gave emotional and sometimes forceful statements Monday in Antalya, Turkey at the G20 Summit which has taken on new importance since the attacks in Paris.

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The deadly Paris attacks are pressuring President Barack Obama to confront Islamic State militants more aggressively than he has been willing to consider in the past, opening a hard deliberation for a leader who has tried to build a legacy on ending America’s wars, not extending them.

While not citing Republican critics by name, Obama said anyone who wants to “pop off” about the Islamic State should “present a specific plan”.

“If they think somehow that their advisers are better than my joint chiefs of staff or my generals on the ground, I want to meet them. And we can have that debate”.

“That’s shameful”, he said. “It’s not who we are”.

“The concerns about potential ISIL attacks in the West have been there for over a year now and they come through periodically”, he said at a Group of 20 summit in Turkey, using a common acronym for Islamic State. “The bad events in Paris were obviously a awful and sickening setback”.

“My only interest is to end suffering and keep the American people safe”, Obama said, adding: “If there is a good idea out there, we’re going to do it”.

Rather than casting about for a new strategy, Obama said USA would intensify its current campaign of airstrikes and arming and training moderate forces.

San Diego is home to more than one third of the U.S. Marine Corps combat troops.

“Some of those are people I’ve ordered into battle”, he said.

He said taking that step “would be a mistake” and would not work unless the USA was committed to being a permanent occupying force in the region.

“What happens when there’s a terrorist attack generated from Yemen?” Obama asked. “Do we then send more troops into there? Or Libya, perhaps? Or if there’s a terrorist network that’s operating anywhere else – in North Africa, or in Southeast Asia?”

While Obama did not single out his critics by name, a few Republican presidential candidates, including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, have called for sending US forces into Syria.

“Today again I’m calling on leaders to commit the resources that this fight demands”, Obama added.

France has ramped up its involvement following the attacks on Friday that killed at least 129 people and injured hundreds. He also expressed continued support for diplomacy created to seek a political settlement in Syria, where civil war has aided the development of the Islamic State.

The Islamic State’s increasing focus on wider targets has raised questions about whether Obama underestimated the group.

The president also said the attacks in Paris should not stop USA plans to accept refugees from Syria, many of whom are trying to flee the horrors of the Islamic State.

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Obama dismissed the suggestion that he failed to comprehend the Islamic State’s strength, but said there were challenges in defeating a group whose fighters have a “willingness to die”.

Barack Obama