Washington: US President Barack Obama has held a meeting with his national security team to review the security situation and intelligence information in the wake of the deadly attacks in France that were claimed by ISIS.
Obama held the meeting before his three-day Asia tour in which he will visit Turkey, Malaysia and Philippines. In Turkey, he will participate in the G-20 Leaders Summit. Following the meeting, the White House said the team reviewed the intelligence picture, noting that the US had no information to contradict the initial French assessment of Islamic State responsibility. The White House said the President’s team briefed him on the latest intelligence surrounding the attacks, and while noting that there was no specific or credible threat to the US, reviewed the homeland security posture to ensure they were doing everything necessary to protect the American people.
“The President received a briefing on the active cooperation with our French counterparts on intelligence sharing and military action against Islamic State (ISIS), and reaffirmed that his team will remain in close contact with their French counterparts to be ready to provide any necessary assistance to French authorities as part of the investigation,” the White House said. “The team reviewed the intelligence picture, noting that we had no information to contradict the initial French assessment of ISIS’s responsibility,” the statement said. “The President was also briefed on our Embassy security posture in Paris and across Europe, and directed his team to take all appropriate measures to ensure the security of Embassy personnel. The President directed his team to keep him regularly apprised of the investigation and any relevant intelligence,” it added.
