Hollande to press Obama on Russian Federation cooperation in IS fight

It urges law enforcement to conduct more training and to go over more active shooter scenarios and to be on the lookout for any suspicious people doing surveillance at “soft targets” such as concert halls and football stadiums, as the attackers in Paris are believed to have done.

As the Islamic State group expands its reach outside its bases in Syria and Iraq, Obama is facing increased pressure at home and overseas to ramp up USA efforts to destroy the militants.

170-a-13-(Josh Earnest, White House press secretary, at news conference)-“has their back”-White House press secretary Josh Earnest says President Obama is looking forward to tomorrow’s meeting with President Francois Hollande so he can show America’s solidarity with the French after the Paris terror attacks”.

A USA spokesman in Baghdad said Monday that the US hit 283 oil tanker trucks in eastern Syria on Saturday as part of a concerted campaign to cripple the militants’ oil revenues.

The request for more counterintelligence, military and humanitarian assistance comes a day before French President Francois Hollande arrives at the White House. But his office acknowledges that “coordination” sounds like a far more realistic goal.

“We are not talking about a command center”.

“If Russian Federation is prepared to change their strategy and prepared to focus their efforts on ISIL and to work with the global community to do that, then we would welcome them as members of our coalition”, he said. The diplomat wasn’t authorized to publicly discuss the subject and spoke on condition of anonymity.

From Washington, Hollande will travel to Moscow for meetings with Putin.

Some steps were in motion before the Paris attack, he said, such as a decision to deploy a small number of USA special forces to Syria and the continuing efforts toward a cease-fire between Syria’s government and rebel groups.

Beyond their discussions on military cooperation, Obama and Hollande are expected to discuss diplomatic efforts to achieve a political transition in Syria.

Cameron on Monday said he would ask the British parliament for approval to join the fight against the jihadists, while offering up a British airbase in Cyprus for French fighter jets to launch their attacks on Islamic State targets.

Criticism of the USA strategy to this point has begun to grow louder.