President Barack Obama held a press conference from a global summit in Turkey on Monday. He said reducing the territory controlled by the Islamic State group, or ISIS, in Iraq and Syria will reduce the flow of fighters and lessen the threat it poses. Watch his address and press conference below.
Leaders of the Group of 20 nations on Monday were wrapping up their two-day summit in Antalya, Turkey. They worked on outlining a coordinated response to Friday's attack in Paris by ISIS.
Obama said one of the challenges of terrorism is to understand that a handful of people who don't mind dying can kill a lot of people. He said the danger of the group is the reason the U.S. is operating in Iraq and Syria, and why it has mobilized 65 countries to go after ISIS.
Obama said putting large numbers of U.S. troops on the ground to combat the threat, however, would be "a mistake." He said the fight against the threat requires participation of the people in Iraq and Syria to push back against ideological extremes.
Numerous meetings were being held on the sidelines of the G20 summit. Obama huddled with leaders from France, Britain, Germany, and Italy.
Obama talked for a short time with Russian President Vladimir Putin, NPR reported:
At one point at the G-20 summit, Obama was seen huddling with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose military is propping up President Bashar Assad's regime in Syria. The White House called the 35-minute discussion productive.
In the past, Obama has dismissed Russia's intervention as a mistake and has made clear that the war in Syria won't end as long as Assad is in power. Despite the differences, Putin called for a more coordinated international approach.
Meanwhile, the French military has carried out attacks on Islamic State positions in Raqqa, Syria, destroying a training camp and a munitions dump.
French authorities also said 168 locations in the country were raided overnight. France's Interior minister said police arrested 23 people accused of being members of a sleeper cell behind Friday's attacks in Paris, and recovered weapons as well.
This report includes information from The Associated Press.
