Declaring America's full solidarity with France in the wake of the Paris attacks, President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that the two countries must destroy the “barbaric” ISIS together.
After a meeting with French President Francois Hollande at the White House, Obama issued a call for united battle to destroy this “barbaric terrorist group” and its “murderous ideology”.
Hollande said Paris came under attack for what France represents and its way of life, adding the country will give a resolute response in terms of defending those values by going ahead next week with its global summit on climate change.
“It (ISIS) cannot be tolerated; it must be destroyed,” Obama said at a joint news conference with Hollande, noting that the ISIS “poses a serious threat to all of us”.
Hollande said the ongoing air strikes would be ramped up, with the priority of reclaiming key locations now in ISIS’ grip.
Asked about Turkey's shooting down of a Russian fighter jet, Obama said details are still awaited, adding the episode “points to an ongoing problem with the Russian operations in the sense that they are operating very close to the Turkey border and that they are going after moderation opposition that is supported not only by Turkey but also other countries”.