US seeks to spur global action

The United States yesterday sought to galvanize global action against violent extremist groups, amid warnings the world was confronted with "a new war against a new enemy."

Gathering ministers and top officials from more than 60 countries on the third and final day of a White House summit, President Barack Obama pledged the US would be "a strong partner" in seeking to halt the march of groups like Islamic State (ISIS).

Governments must remain "unwavering in our fight against terrorist organizations," Obama said, vowing to work with unstable countries such as Yemen and Somalia to help "prevent ungoverned spaces where terrorists find safe haven."

Nations also needed to confront the "warped ideologies" espoused by groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda, Obama stressed, and must tackle the economic and political grievances which "makes those communities ripe for extremist recruitment."

But he stressed: "The notion that the West is at war with Islam is an ugly lie. And all of us, regardless of our faith, have a responsibility to reject it."

However, the summit did not produce concrete steps. Indeed Obama challenged nations to bring their ideas to the UN general assembly in September.

Although there has been some criticism that the conference was hastily announced and representation was spotty, top ministers from Jordan, Denmark, Egypt, France and Belgium which have all suffered serious setbacks at the hands of either extremist groups or lone wolves were present.

The US administration said it would step up information-sharing to thwart would-be foreign fighters, and has pledged to boost cooperation with Interpol.

Top US diplomat John Kerry acknowledged most of the work to try to stop the extremists would be done "without fanfare" quietly in classrooms, community halls and on street corners.

"Today we are asked to wage a new war against a new enemy. The battlefield is different, and so are the weapons that we need to overcome that enemy," Kerry said in a Wall Street Journal op-ed yesterday.