Daesh can’t destroy US, says Obama

HONOLULU: US President Barack Barack Obama said Daesh can’t destroy the United States. In a year-end interview with NPR News, Obama says he understands why people are worried. Earlier this month, a radicalized married couple who had pledged allegiance to Daesh opened fire on the husband’s co-workers in San Bernardino, California, killing 14. Obama said the most damage the extremist group can do is force Americans to change how they live or what they believe in. During his final year as president, Obama said he wants to make sure Americans remember who they are and that the country’s resilience, values and unity are intact. He says that’s the way to defeat Daesh. He said his administration is open to some “legitimate criticism” for failing to adequately explain its strategy to counter Daesh, though he chided Republican presidential candidates for criticizing his policy without offering an alternative. Obama attributed his low approval ratings for how he has handled terrorism to the saturation of Daesh attacks in the media after the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris that killed 130 people. Obama noted that the United States has carried out 9,000 strikes against Daesh group. -arabnews