AMN /
US President Barack Obama has vowed that the United States and its international allies will not relent in the fight against the Islamic State militant group.
Speaking in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia before departing for Washington, he said they will hunt down IS leaders and cut off the group’s financing. Mr Obama insisted that the world will not tolerate extremist attacks on civilians in Paris and elsewhere. The 13/11 terrorist attacks in Paris claimed by IS group killed 130 people and injured hundreds more.
Wrapping up his nine-day trip to Turkey and Asia, Mr Obama also pressed Russian President Vladimir Putin to align himself with the US led coalition to fight the IS group, reminding him that the terrorist group has been accused of bringing down a Russian passenger jet last month, killing 224 people. He said, Russia has stepped up its air campaign in Syria, but Moscow has focused its attention on moderate rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar Assad. Obama called on Russia to make a strategic adjustment and drop its support for Assad, insisting the violence in Syria cannot be stopped as long as Assad is in office.
Meanwhile, French President Francois Hollande is due to meet with Obama at the White House on Tuesday to discuss ways to bolster the international coalition fighting the Islamic State. Mr Hollande then heads to Russia for talks with Mr Putin.