Obama Pledges Islamic State Will Be Destroyed

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(RFE/RL) — U.S. President Barack Obama has said the recent shooting attack in California that left 14 people dead was “a terrorist attack” and that the two shooters “had gone down the dark path of radicalization.”

Speaking in a primetime televised address from the White House — only his third such speech in nearly seven years as president — Obama said that the threat of terrorism has evolved into “a new phase” in recent years, but pledged that the extremist Islamic State (IS) terrorist group will be destroyed.

The 13-minute speech comes days after a married couple attacked a social-services center in San Bernardino, California, killing 14 and wounding 21.

Obama called on Muslim communities around the world to reject radicalism and the IS ideology and to join in the fight against terrorism. He emphasized that there is no conflict between the West and Islam.

He said that the United States must not “live in fear” following the attack and must not turn on Muslims inside the country. Likewise, it must not impose religion-based restrictions on immigration.

Obama also called for tighter U.S. gun laws. He said people on the terrorist no-fly list should not be able to purchase assault weapons.

He said that the West’s current strategy of air strikes against IS targets in Iraq and Syria can achieve a sustainable victory and cautioned that the United States must avoid being drawn into a “long, costly ground war” in either country.

He said the United States is working closely with allies around the world in an effort to cut off IS’s sources of financing.

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RFE/RL journalists report the news in 21 countries where a free press is banned by the government or not fully established.

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