President Barack Obama ruled out a shift in strategy in the fight against Islamic State on Monday despite the deadly attacks in Paris, saying putting more U.S. troops on the ground as sought by his political critics "would be a mistake."
Speaking after a G20 summit in Turkey, Obama described the attacks in France that killed 129 people as "a terrible and sickening setback" and vowed to redouble efforts to destroy Islamic State, even as the group threatened to strike Washington.
"We are going to continue the strategy that has the best chance of working," he told a news conference, adding that there would be "an intensification" of the effort against Islamic State.
"This is not a traditional military opponent.
We can retake territory and as long as we keep our troops there we can hold it.
But that does not solve the underlying problem of eliminating the dynamics that are producing these kinds of violent, extremist groups," Obama said.
