Story highlights Obams reaffirms US commitment to fighting ISIS

Obama praised the response from citizens in New York and New Jersey

New York (CNN) President Barack Obama worked to calm Americans' jitters Monday after a series of attempts at mass violence, suggesting that yielding to fear amounted to a win for terrorists.

During two appearances in New York, Obama praised the swift work of law enforcement authorities looking into duel bomb attacks in New York and New Jersey over the weekend. And he urged Americans to follow the lead of residents here by not submitting to fear.

"I think it is important to remember what terrorists and violent extremists are trying to do. They are trying to hurt innocent people, but they also want to inspire fear in all of us, and disrupt the way we live to undermine our values," Obama said. "We all have a role to play as citizens in making sure that we don't succumb to that fear. And there is no better example of that than the people of New York and New Jersey."

"Folks around here, you know, they don't get scared. They are tough, they are resilient, they go about their business every single day. And that kind of toughness and resoluteness and a recognition that neither individuals nor organizations like ISIL can ultimately undermine our way of life," Obama said. "That's the kind of strength that makes me so proud to be an American."

The President was speaking Monday morning from a hotel in midtown Manhattan, where he's attending his final United Nations General Assembly meeting. Two miles south, in Chelsea, investigations were still piecing together evidence following a bomb explosion in a dumpster Saturday night, which injured dozens.

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