‘There were no specific mentions of this particular attack that would give us a sense of something that we could provide French authorities, for example, or act on ourselves’.
Advertisement
Currently, a U.S.-led coalition is bombing Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria.
“There will be an intensification of the strategy that we have put forward, but the strategy that we are putting forward is the strategy that ultimately is going to work”, Obama said, adding that he encouraged the other leaders at the summit to contribute more in terms of military and humanitarian resources. He once referred to the extremists as a “JV team” and said shortly before the Paris attack that their capacity in Iraq and Syria had been contained.
President Barack Obama defended his strategy for combating ISIS, saying that having ground troops in large numbers would be a “mistake”. “From the start our goal has been first to contain, and we have contained them”.
While many world leaders were focused on the wounded nation of France, the bleeding city of Paris, and a global manhunt for the terrorists responsible for Friday’s attacks, Obama’s focus was elsewhere.
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”.
France is mourning the deaths of at least 129 people and is desperately hunting for anyone who may have been connected to the seven suicide bombers and gunmen who attacked six different locations Friday. “I’ve heard people say, ‘Well, how do we do background checks?’ The USA has the ability to do background checks”.
Obama said he differed with his predecessor, Republican President George W. Bush, on many dilemma, but he agreed with Bush after the 9/11 assaults when the then-president said the United States wasn’t at war with Islam. French President Francois Hollande skipped the summit to stay home and deal with the aftermath of the attacks, but Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius participated in the discussion.
Obama also renewed his call for Russia to withdraw forces, weapons and support for pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine, the White House said.
World leaders vowed today to boost intelligence-sharing, cut off terrorist funding and strengthen border security in Europe, as they sought to show resolve and unity following the deadly terror attacks in Paris.
The president was just as dismissive of fears expressed by Americans, including a number of state governors, that Syrian refugees that he proposes to resettle in the United States might include ISIS infiltrators. Instead, they foreshadowed an expansion of steps the U.S.is already taking, namely airstrikes and train-and-equip missions for rebels inside Syria.
Republicans have hammered Obama over his plan to bring in as many as 10,000 Syrian refugees.
Advertisement
“As part of that strategy, Obama announced plans to streamline the process by which the United States and France share intelligence information about potential terrorists”. Were you aware that they had the capability of pulling off the kind of attack that they did in Paris?
