Obama: Islamic State must be destroyed

David Jackson | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Obama: ISIL threat cannot be tolerated French President Francois Hollande and President Obama stood united both literally and figuratively against the Islamic State.

WASHINGTON — President Obama pledged Tuesday to step up assistance to France and other allies fighting the Islamic State, but stopped short of endorsing a French proposal for a new grand coalition that would include Russia.

"As Americans, we stand by our friends in good times and in bad," Obama told reporters after meeting with French President Francois Hollande. The United States and France in particular will "deliver justice" to the perpetrators of the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris, and to "those who sent them," he said.

The "murderous ideology" of the Islamic State "poses a serious threat to all of us," Obama said. "It cannot be tolerated. It must be destroyed. And we must do it together."

After meeting with Obama for more than an hour in the Oval Office, Hollande's efforts to form a new coalition still faces challenges as Obama continues to question Russian activity in Syria and opposes the idea of deploying U.S. ground troops to combat the militant group in Syria and Iraq.

Turkey's shoot-down of a Russian fighter jet on Tuesday also figures to complicate Hollande's coalition-building efforts. Obama said officials are still reviewing the incident, but said it points to "ongoing problems" with Russian military activity in Syria that seems designed to prop up embattled Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad rather than go after the Islamic State.

Asked about his hopes for a grand coalition, Hollande said "the entire world is committed" to defeating the Islamic State, and that he hopes to obtain more cooperation from Russia after a visit Thursday with President Vladimir Putin.

Obama, responding to the same question, said "we've got a coalition of 65 countries," while Russia has a "coalition of two" in which it and Iran are backing the Assad regime in Syria at the expense of fighting the Islamic State.

"Russia is the outlier," Obama said at one point.

Hollande thanked Obama and the people of the United States for their "solidarity" with France after the attacks, saying that "we share the same trust, the same faith in freedom." He paid tribute to an American student who died, as well as the U.S. band that was performing in a theater that was attacked.

Following their meeting, Obama used a lengthy opening statement at a news conference to outline increased counter-terrorism assistance that includes includes more coordination of air strikes, more and better intelligence sharing, and improved screening of passengers at airports.

While terrorism is "a scourge that threatens all of us," Obama said there are security systems in place to prevent a Paris-style threat in the United States.

He also asked Americans not to be divided or to succumb to fear in the face of terrorist threats. "There have been times in our history, in moments of fear, when we have failed to uphold our highest ideals and it has been to our lasting regret," he said. "We must uphold our ideals now."

In discouraging the idea of closer cooperation with Russia, Obama said he told Putin last week during a meeting in Turkey that Russia needs to be more "constructive" in Syria, including support for diplomacy aimed at a political solution that leads to Assad's removal from power. "Until that happens," he said. "it's very difficult."

As the downing of a Russian fighter jet casts more shadows over a complex situation, Hollande said Turkey is supplying information to NATO about what happened. The French president warned that "we must prevent an escalation" in tensions with Russia as he prepares to meet with Putin. Hollande is also scheduled to meet with the leaders of Germany, Italy and China as part of his project to build "a broad, single coalition" against Islamic State militants.

The Paris attacks and subsequent threats by the Islamic State require "a joint response," Hollande said. "An implacable joint response."

He called for closing the Turkish-Syrian border to slow the movement of foreign fighters, as well as Assad's "departure" from power and more military activity targeting the Islamic State — but, echoing Obama, ruled out the use of French combat troops.

"France will not intervene militarily on the ground," Hollande said. "It is for the local forces to do so."

The Islamic State has forged a self-declared caliphate in large swaths of Syria and Iraq. They have taken responsibility for the Paris attacks as well as the downing of a Russian plane over Egypt. They have also launched attacks in Lebanon and Turkey and threatened attacks in the United States and allied countries.

Obama, who is under pressure to do more against the Islamic State, has authorized the deployment of 50 special forces members to Syria. He has resisted calls for combat troops, saying he doesn't want the United States bogged down in another Middle East war.

"There is a comprehensive strategy that is being implemented by the United States and the 64 other members of our coalition," White House press secretary Josh Earnest said, adding that "we believe that there is more that can be done if countries are willing to contribute additional resources."

In defending his strategy after the Hollande meeting, Obama said: "Make no mistake: we will win and groups like ISIL (the Islamic State) will lose."