Obama calls California shootings a terror attack, vows to destroy IS

Describing the mass shooting in California an “act of terrorism”, US President Barack Obama vowed to “destroy” the Islamic State group and branded its fighters “thugs and killers”. In a rare address from the Oval Office on December 6, four days after the California mass shooting by a couple of Pakistan origin, Mr Obama stressed that the US will overcome the threat of terrorism.

“They had stockpiled assault weapons, ammunition and pipe bombs. So this was an act of terrorism,” Mr Obama said in a rare televised address, only his third, delivered from the White House Oval Office. “We will destroy ISIS and any other organization that tries to harm us. The threat from terrorism is real, but we will overcome it”, he added.

“We should put in place stronger screening for those who come to America without a visa so that we can take a hard look at whether they’ve traveled to war zones.” The government is working members of both parties in Congress “to do exactly that,” Mr Obama added.

The Obama administration has been under severe criticism for not having a comprehensive policy to tackle the Islamic State. International allies and security experts in the US want the US to play a more significant role in tackling the Islamic State.

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