World leaders vow to boost terror fight

Associated Press

ANTALYA, Turkey

World leaders vowed Monday to boost intelligence-sharing, cut off terrorist funding and strengthen border security in Europe, as they sought to show resolve and unity following the Islamic State’s deadly terror attacks in Paris.

U.S. President Barack Obama said the militant group was “the face of evil” and urged other nations to do more to combat the threat it poses. Still, he resisted calls to escalate U.S. military action and open a large-scale ground war, saying he would instead intensify the American-led airstrike campaign, as well as efforts to train and equip moderate rebels.

“We need to be doing everything we can to protect against attacks and protect our citizens,” Obama said at a news conference closing two days of talks with leaders from the Group of 20 rich and developing nations.

While the summit resulted in plenty of tough talk and blistering condemnations of the Paris attacks, leaders spoke mostly in broad strokes of their pledges to intensify the anti-Islamic State campaign.

Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized the need to cut off the militants’ ability to generate revenue through oil smuggling. And British Prime Minister David Cameron announced plans to host a donor conference early next year to raise “significant new funding” to tackle the flood of refugees spilling out of Syria.

“None of this is a substitute for the next urgent need of all: to find a political solution that brings peace to Syria and enables the millions of refugees to return home,” Cameron said.

The leaders’ meeting came against the backdrop of heavy French bombardment of the Islamic State’s stronghold in Syria. The U.S. was expanding its intelligence sharing with the French and helping them identify targets, according to American officials.

The G-20 meeting in the Turkish seaside resort of Antalya was planned long before the Paris attacks, which left at least 129 people dead and hundreds wounded. But the violence intensified the discussions, resulting in a flurry of meetings on the sidelines of the summit about the situation in Syria, where the 41/2-year civil war has created a vacuum for the Islamic State to thrive.