Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share Speaking from the G20 summit in Turkey, President Obama said it would be a mistake to put U.S. troops on the ground to fight the Islamic State. USA TODAY 
 
 President Obama (Photo: Pool photo by Andrew Harrer) 
 
 Describing the Islamic State as "the face of evil," President Obama said Monday he will continue working with other countries on a coordinated strategy to "degrade and ultimately destroy" the militant group — without U.S. combat troops. 
 
 "We have the right strategy and we're going to see it through," Obama said after a Group of 20 nations summit that focused on counter-terrorism in the wake of last week's attacks in Paris. 
 
 The president defended a strategy based on air strikes, working with allies on intelligence gathering, and training local military forces. He said that deploying a large U.S. military force to fight the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq — a step recommended by Republican presidential candidates and other critics — would be ineffective. 
 
 Military advisers have told him that ground troops "would be a mistake," Obama said during a news conference in Turkey, the site of the G-20 summit. 
 
 In addition to likely casualties, Obama said the United States would be put in a position of occupying large parts of Syria and Iraq without any clear way out, as happened after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He said the United States should not "shoot first and aim later," and cited terrorist threats from other nations like Libya and Yemen. 
 
 "A strategy has to be one that can be sustained," Obama said. 
 
 Instead, the United States is coordinating local military in the forces to fight against the Islamic State, Obama said, and they have pushed the militants back within their self-declared caliphate. The strategy uses all elements of U.S. power, Obama said: "Military, intelligence, economic, development and the strength of our communities." 
 
 He and his team understand that "this would be a long-term campaign," Obama said. "There will be setbacks and there will be successes. The terrible events in Paris were obviously a terrible and sickening setback." 
 
 In responding to that attack, Obama announced plans to streamline the process by which the United States and France share intelligence information about potential terrorists. He also expressed continued support for diplomacy designed to seek a political settlement in Syria, where civil war has aided the development of the Islamic State. 
 
 Disputing the suggestion that he has underestimated the group known as ISIL — Obama said: "This is precisely why we're in Iraq as we speak and why we're operating in Syria as we speak. And it's precisely why we have mobilized 65 countries to go after ISIL." 
 
 The president also said the attacks in Paris should not stop U.S. plans to accept refugees from Syria, many of whom are trying to flee the horrors of the Islamic State. "Slamming the door in their faces would be a betrayal of our values," Obama said. So far, Republican governors of Alabama, Arkansas, Michigan and Texas have called for a ban on Syrian refugees to their states. 
 
 In a letter to Obama, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said that "a Syrian 'refugee' appears to have been part of the Paris terror attack. American humanitarian compassion could be exploited to expose Americans to similar deadly danger." 
 
 While not citing Republican critics by name, Obama said anyone who wants to "pop off" about the Islamic State should "present a specific plan." He said many critics are proposing "things that we're already doing." 
 
 Obama also denounced some Republicans' "shameful" calls to give preference to Christian refugees from Syria, a proposal made by GOP presidential candidate Jeb Bush among others. Obama said there should not be a "religious test" applied to people who fleeing persecution. He said Americans need to be careful not to make this a war against Islam, but rather a fight against people who kill in the name of religion. 
 
 Obama said he disagreed with his predecessor, Republican President George W. Bush, on many issues, but applauded his statements after the 9/11 attacks that the United States is not engaged in a war with Islam. 
 
 It is important for "those who are in leadership" not to feed "a dark impulse inside of us," he said. 
 
 As Obama spoke in Turkey, French President Francois Hollande announced he would be meeting with the U.S. president in the coming days to "join our forces" against the Islamic State. He called for "a union of all who can fight this terrorist army in a single coalition." 
 
 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share PARIS ATTACKS AND THE SEARCH FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE Belgium OKs extradition of Paris terrorism suspect | 0:50 Suspected Paris attacker Salah Abdeslam initially fought extradition from Belgium but later conceded, saying he wanted to explain himself to France.Video provided by Newsy Newslook 1 of 35 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share PARIS ATTACKS AND THE SEARCH FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE Analyst: Brussels Attacks Likely Linked to Paris | 2:05 Analyst Daveed Gartenstein-Ross says this may be the first time the same jihadi terrorist cell has been able to carry out two attacks. (March 22) AP 2 of 35 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share PARIS ATTACKS AND THE SEARCH FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE Top fugitive in Paris attacks arrested | 1:20 Authorities in Brussels, Belgium arrested Salah Abdeslam Friday. He was the top fugitive in last year's attacks in Paris that killed 130 people. (March 18) AP 3 of 35 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share PARIS ATTACKS AND THE SEARCH FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE Raw: French Raid Targets Suspected Mastermind | 1:07 At least seven explosions were heard at the scene of a police standoff with suspects in last week's deadly Paris attacks. Police say the suspected mastermind of the Paris attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, is believed to be holed up in the area. (Nov. 18) AP 4 of 35 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share PARIS ATTACKS AND THE SEARCH FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE French police release photo of suspected Paris bomber | 0:53 The photo comes from a passport that was found near one of the sites of a suicide bombing in Paris. Newslook 5 of 35 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share PARIS ATTACKS AND THE SEARCH FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE Suspects in Paris attacks, police exchange gunfire in raids | 1:00 Heavily-armed French police conducted raids in the suburb of Saint-Denis, where the mastermind of the Paris attacks is thought to be holed up. A woman with a suicide bomb vest blew herself up. One man was killed; several others were arrested. AP 6 of 35 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share PARIS ATTACKS AND THE SEARCH FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE Dad teaches son not to fear after Paris attacks | 1:14 A Parisian boy and his father are winning hearts around the world for their response to the Paris attacks. VPC 7 of 35 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share PARIS ATTACKS AND THE SEARCH FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE Car rented by Paris attacks suspect found abandoned | 0:35 A car rented by Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam that may have been used in the preparation of the carnage is found in a northern district of Paris, police sources say. Video provided by AFP Newslook 8 of 35 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share PARIS ATTACKS AND THE SEARCH FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE French lawmakers sing the national anthem | 0:37 Francois Hollande vowed to up the battle against the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria in the wake of Paris attacks. His speech culminated in a rendition by lawmakers of the Marseillaise, the French national anthem. Newslook 9 of 35 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share PARIS ATTACKS AND THE SEARCH FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE Kerry: We Won't "Be Intimidated by Terrorists" | 2:08 Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Paris Monday to show American solidarity with France after Friday's attacks. Speaking outside the U.S. Embassy there, Kerry said the world will "never be intimidated by terrorists." (Nov. 16) AP 10 of 35 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share PARIS ATTACKS AND THE SEARCH FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE Paris gets back to work | 1:19 Tension remains, but Parisian residents are returning to familiar routines the first weekday after the deadly attacks. USA TODAY 11 of 35 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share PARIS ATTACKS AND THE SEARCH FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE Raw: Eiffel Tower Shines Blue, White and Red | 0:51 The Eiffel Tower reopened to visitors after it was re-lit in blue, white and red following Friday's attacks in Paris. (Nov. 16) AP 12 of 35 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share PARIS ATTACKS AND THE SEARCH FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE Alleged ISIS video threatens Washington, DC, with Paris-like attacks | 1:04 A group claiming to be affiliated with ISIS said in a video that it would carry out attacks in Washington, D.C., like those in Paris on Friday. Video provided by Newsy Newslook 13 of 35 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share PARIS ATTACKS AND THE SEARCH FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE Paris remembers victims in moment of silence | 0:38 Hundreds of mourners gathered at Paris' Place de la Republique to remember the 129 victims killed by jihadists. Video provided by Newsy Newslook 14 of 35 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share PARIS ATTACKS AND THE SEARCH FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE French police carry out 170 dawn raids as Paris mourns | 1:18 French police carry out nearly 170 searches and arrested 23 people in dawn raids in the wake of the attacks on Paris, and more than 100 people are placed under house arrest, the interior minister says. Video provided by AFP Newslook 15 of 35 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share PARIS ATTACKS AND THE SEARCH FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE French jets strike ISIS targets in Syria | 0:48 The French Ministry of Defense is conducting airstrikes against ISIS in the Syrian city of Raqqa, according to reports. Video provided by Newsy Newslook 16 of 35 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share PARIS ATTACKS AND THE SEARCH FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE Mourning, fear In Paris following attacks | 1:42 Security increased on Saturday across the U.S. after attacks in Paris on Friday killed 132 people. Belgium's federal prosecutors say authorities have made three arrests linked to the deadly attacks, which were claimed by the Islamic State group. AP 17 of 35 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share PARIS ATTACKS AND THE SEARCH FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE Remembering the U.S. student killed in the Paris attacks | 1:22 Students, teachers, campus officials and elected representatives gathered at California State University, Long Beach to honor the short life of student Nohemi Gonzalez, a victim of the Paris terrorist rampage. Chris Woodyard reports. Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY 18 of 35 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share PARIS ATTACKS AND THE SEARCH FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE Raw: False alarm causes panic in Paris streets | 2:22 Crowds flee in panic amid mourning the victims of Friday's attacks in Paris. It was not lcear what caused the panic or whether it was a false alarm. (Nov. 15) AP 19 of 35 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share PARIS ATTACKS AND THE SEARCH FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE France braces for financial hit after Paris attacks | 0:48 Analysts expect French stocks to drop when markets open Monday because past attacks in Tunisia, Spain and the U.K. contributed to financial declines. Video provided by Newsy Newslook 20 of 35 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share PARIS ATTACKS AND THE SEARCH FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE A somber mood in Paris after attacks | 1:01 Kim Hjelmgaard reports from outside the Baclatan music club where dozens of people were killed in Paris. USA TODAY 21 of 35 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share PARIS ATTACKS AND THE SEARCH FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE California student killed in Paris terror attacks | 0:47 A college student from California, Nohemi Gonzalez, was among those killed in Friday's terror attacks in Paris. The university released a statement on Facebook, offering condolences to the family. Wochit 22 of 35 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share PARIS ATTACKS AND THE SEARCH FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE Hundreds gather in San Francisco to mourn victims of French tragedy | 2:31 In San Francisco, hundreds gathered near the French Consulate to mourn victims of French tragedy. Christopher Wiggins for USA TODAY 23 of 35 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share PARIS ATTACKS AND THE SEARCH FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE Half a world away people in America react to Paris attacks | 2:44 Far away from the horrors of the Paris terrorist attack, people in Los Angeles express their support and prayers for Parisians affected by the attacks. USA TODAY 24 of 35 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share PARIS ATTACKS AND THE SEARCH FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE GRAPHIC CONTENT: People flee Paris' Bataclan concert venue | 2:56 Le Monde journalist Daniel Psenny filmed the injured who tried to escape the Bataclan concert venue. (Editors note: USA TODAY does not regularly show graphic images, however the news value of this particular video outweighs such considerations.) Wochit 25 of 35 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share PARIS ATTACKS AND THE SEARCH FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE World Stands by Paris by Representing French Flag in World Landmarks | 0:40 Cities around the world lit up in the colors of the French flag on Friday to show their support and solidarity with those affected by the terrorist attacks in Paris. USA TODAY 26 of 35 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share PARIS ATTACKS AND THE SEARCH FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE Witness: Confusion Inside Stadium After Attack | 1:13 A spectator who was inside the Stade de France, north of Paris, when the stadium was targeted by explosions on Friday night described how, initially, "no-one reacted at all" as it was unclear what had happened. (Nov. 14) AP 27 of 35 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share PARIS ATTACKS AND THE SEARCH FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE Scenes Of Horror As Paris Becomes A Bloodbath | 1:36 French President Francois Hollande is meeting top government and security officials after suicide bombers targeted a stadium, concert hall and Friday night cafe crowds in attacks that killed at least 120. (Nov. 14) AP 28 of 35 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share PARIS ATTACKS AND THE SEARCH FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE Raw: Police Near Paris Hostage Scene | 1:47 At least 35 people were killed Friday in shootings and explosions around Paris, many of them in a popular concert hall where patrons were taken hostage, police and medical officials said. (Nov. 13) AP 29 of 35 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share PARIS ATTACKS AND THE SEARCH FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE How should the U.S. respond to the Paris attacks? | 3:56 Nov. 13 -- Nicholas Burns, a former U.S. ambassador, discusses the multiple acts of violence in Paris. He speaks with Bloomberg's Alix Steel and Mark Crumpton. Bloomberg 30 of 35 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share PARIS ATTACKS AND THE SEARCH FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE Hollande says France closing borders after attacks | 3:19 Nov. 13 -- James Woolsey, former CIA director, reacts to the multiple acts of violence in Paris. Bloomberg 31 of 35 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share PARIS ATTACKS AND THE SEARCH FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE Obama: Attack on Paris is 'attack on all humanity' | 2:02 President Obama delivered a statement on the terrorist attack in Paris on Friday and called the act an "attack on all humanity." VPC 32 of 35 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share PARIS ATTACKS AND THE SEARCH FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE Raw: French Police say Paris shootout, explosion | 1:55 Police officials in France on Friday reported a shootout in a restaurant and an explosion in a bar near a Paris stadium. It was unclear if the events were linked but several are reported dead. (Nov. 13) AP 33 of 35 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share PARIS ATTACKS AND THE SEARCH FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE AP Photographer Describes Scene Inside Stadium | 1:12 AP photographer Jerome Pugmire describes the scene inside a Paris stadium following a bombing near France's national stadium during a soccer match. (Nov. 13) AP 34 of 35 Skip Ad Ad Loading... x Embed x Share PARIS ATTACKS AND THE SEARCH FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE Raw: Numerous Dead in Paris Attacks | 0:44 Two explosions were heard outside the Stade de France stadium north of Paris during a France-Germany friendly football match. (Nov. 13) AP 35 of 35 Last VideoNext Video Belgium OKs extradition of Paris terrorism suspect 
 
 Analyst: Brussels Attacks Likely Linked to Paris 
 
 Top fugitive in Paris attacks arrested 
 
 Raw: French Raid Targets Suspected Mastermind 
 
 French police release photo of suspected Paris bomber 
 
 Suspects in Paris attacks, police exchange gunfire in raids 
 
 Dad teaches son not to fear after Paris attacks 
 
 Car rented by Paris attacks suspect found abandoned 
 
 French lawmakers sing the national anthem 
 
 Kerry: We Won't "Be Intimidated by Terrorists" 
 
 Paris gets back to work 
 
 Raw: Eiffel Tower Shines Blue, White and Red 
 
 Alleged ISIS video threatens Washington, DC, with Paris-like attacks 
 
 Paris remembers victims in moment of silence 
 
 French police carry out 170 dawn raids as Paris mourns 
 
 French jets strike ISIS targets in Syria 
 
 Mourning, fear In Paris following attacks 
 
 Remembering the U.S. student killed in the Paris attacks 
 
 Raw: False alarm causes panic in Paris streets 
 
 France braces for financial hit after Paris attacks 
 
 A somber mood in Paris after attacks 
 
 California student killed in Paris terror attacks 
 
 Hundreds gather in San Francisco to mourn victims of French tragedy 
 
 Half a world away people in America react to Paris attacks 
 
 GRAPHIC CONTENT: People flee Paris' Bataclan concert venue 
 
 World Stands by Paris by Representing French Flag in World Landmarks 
 
 Witness: Confusion Inside Stadium After Attack 
 
 Scenes Of Horror As Paris Becomes A Bloodbath 
 
 Raw: Police Near Paris Hostage Scene 
 
 How should the U.S. respond to the Paris attacks? 
 
 Hollande says France closing borders after attacks 
 
 Obama: Attack on Paris is 'attack on all humanity' 
 
 Raw: French Police say Paris shootout, explosion 
 
 AP Photographer Describes Scene Inside Stadium 
 
 Raw: Numerous Dead in Paris Attacks 
 
 Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1NWwsxz 

 President Barack Obama said Monday that sending troops into Syria to fight ISIS would be a "mistake," but not allowing Syrian refugees into the United States would betray American values. 
 
 
 
 "Not because our military could not march into ... Raqqa and temporarily clear out ISIL, but because we would see a repetition of what we've seen before," he said in a speech at the G-20 meeting in Turkey. "If you do not have local populations that are committed to inclusive governance and who are pushing back against ideological extremes, then they resurface." 
 
 
 
 "Let's assume we send 50,000 troops into Syria. What happens when there is a terrorist attack generated from Yemen? Do we then send more troops into there?" 
 
 Obama made his remarks after the the deadly attacks in Paris carried out on Friday by the so-called Islamic State left at least 129 dead and hundreds more injured. 
 
 Obama reaffirmed the need to accept refugees from Middle East war zones who are flooding into Europe. 
 
 
 
 "At the same time, all of our countries have to ensure our security, and as president, my first priority is the safety of the American people," he said. "Even as we accept more refugees — including Syrians — we do so only after subjecting them to rigorous screenings and security checks. We also have to remember that many of these refugees are the victims of terrorism; that's why they're fleeing." 
 
 Obama has come under sharp criticism by Republicans. The Republican governors of three states, Texas, Alabama and Michigan, said they would not allow Syrian refugees in their states. GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump told CNBC on Monday "You can't let them in" because "it would be one of the great Trojan horses." 

 President Barack Obama is doubling down on his strategy to combat Islamic State in the face of rising calls from domestic allies and critics alike for a more aggressive campaign against the extremist group. 
 
 In the wake of the deadly Islamic State terrorist attack on Paris, Obama again ruled out on Monday dispatching a major U.S. ground force to Syria and Iraq, saying that would be a “serious mistake” and would push the nation along an unsustainable path of committing to the long-term occupation of countries across the Middle East and North Africa. 
 
 Instead, he made a plea for patience to let military, economic and diplomatic pressure work, even as he promised to adjust to conditions. 
 
 “There will be an intensification of the strategy that we put forward, but the strategy that we are putting forward is the strategy that ultimately is going to work,” Obama said at a news conference concluding the Group of 20 summit in Turkey, just 300 miles from a main battle zone in Syria. “But as I said from the start, it’s going to take time.” 
 
 On Defensive 
 
 The president became defensive as he was repeatedly questioned by reporters about whether he had underestimated Islamic State, whether his emphasis on diplomacy emboldened the extremists and whether he truly understands the enemy. His exasperation was evident in his response to the third such question posed. 
 
 “All right, so this is another variation on the same question,” he said. “Let me try it one last time.” 
 
 Shrinking the territory the terrorists control, getting local forces trained and equipped to keep them out and resolving the civil war in Syria -- “that ultimately is going to be what’s going to make a difference,” he said. “And it’s going to take some time, but it’s not something that at any stage in this process have we not been aware needs to be done.” 
 
 Obama’s critics in Congress have said that’s not enough, and their calls for more robust action have grown louder since the attacks in Paris on Friday that killed at least 129 people and wounded more than 300 others. 
 
 Ground Forces 
 
 Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a member of the Armed Services Committee and a Republican presidential candidate, has long been pushing for a no-fly zone in Syria. He now says American troops should join Arab and Turkish forces in ground combat in Syria against Islamic State, also known by the acronyms ISIL and ISIS. 
 
 “Let’s use their armies in a smart way and integrate our forces within a regional army” for a ground campaign to supplement airstrikes, Graham said Monday on MSNBC. 
 
 Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, usually an administration ally, joined the call for more force beyond the several dozen special operations advisers Obama has said the U.S. was deploying in Syria after the failure of a Defense Department program to train “moderate” rebels. 
 
 “I can’t tell you how many troops on the ground we need,” Feinstein said in a separate interview on MSNBC. “But we certainly need more than 50 special ops, and we need the ability to really make a difference on the ground.” 
 
 R. Nicholas Burns, who was Undersecretary of State under President George W. Bush, said Obama should step up the air campaign against Islamic State and arms shipments to groups in the region opposed to the terrorists. 
 
 Sending Weapons 
 
 “We can and should provide much greater conventional weaponry to the Syrian Kurds, to the Peshmerga and to some of the Arab Sunni,” Burns, who is now a professor at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, said in an interview. “We’ve done so little of that. We’ve been so tentative for four years now.” 
 
 Obama lit into his domestic critics, particularly some Republicans running in the 2016 presidential campaign who’ve called for a more robust military campaign against Islamic State. 
 
 “Some of them seem to think that if I were just more bellicose in expressing what we’re doing that that would make a difference because that seems to be the only thing that they’re doing, is talking as if they’re tough,” Obama said. 
 
 Republican critics have offered few concrete alternatives, he said, with the exceptions of sending in ground forces or establishing no-fly zones, moves that open up a “whole set of questions that have to be answered.” 
 
 The president grew visibly irritated with repeated questions during his news conference about whether he should act more decisively or faster to destroy Islamic State. He said he is aware his approach doesn’t offer the satisfaction of a "neat headline" or an immediate solution. 
 
 “What I’m not interested in doing is posing or pursuing some notion of ‘American leadership’ or ‘America winning”’ that has “no relationship to what is actually going to work,” he said. 
 
 ‘Face of Evil’ 
 
 Obama called Islamic State “the face of evil” and insisted the U.S. and its allies are shrinking its hold in Syria and Iraq even as the group has demonstrated its ability to commit violence beyond the region. 
 
 The attacks in Paris last week were “a terrible and sickening setback” in what will be a long campaign against Islamic State, Obama said Monday, shortly after meeting with leaders of European countries at a summit in Turkey. 
 
 What won’t work, he said, is sending thousands more U.S. troops into the fight. 
 
 “We would see a repetition of what we’ve seen before, which is if you do not have local populations that are committed” to helping combat extremism, Obama said, the terrorists “resurface, unless we are prepared to have a permanent occupation of these countries.” 
 
 Obama’s strategy may be under pressure as well from some allies and other players, including Russia, which also is conducting airstrikes in Syria. Like France, Russia has been a target of Islamic State terrorism. A Russian passenger jet was blown out of the sky over Egypt in an attack blamed on the group. 
 
 While French President Francois Hollande, like Obama, has ruled out deploying ground troops in Syria in the midst of a civil war, there were signs that last Friday’s terrorist attack is spurring an accommodation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and has so far resisted U.S. and European demands that he depart eventually as part of a transition. 
 
 In a speech to a rare joint session of parliament in Versailles, Hollande said he would call Putin as well as Obama “to unite our efforts and seek a solution.” 

 WASHINGTON (AP) — The bloody attacks in Paris are putting the Syrian refugee crisis at center stage in U.S. politics as migrants from that war-torn country surge toward the West and security concerns rise. 
 
 Two people stand on a terrace in the town hall behind a French flag at half mast in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2015. More than 120 people died and over 350 were wounded, 99 of them seriously Friday... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - In this Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2015 file photo, migrants enter to register with the police in refugee center in the southern Serbian town of Presevo. Balkan authorities are tracking the travels of... (Associated Press) 
 
 GOP presidential contender Marco Rubio on Sunday said the United States should no longer accept Syrian refugees because it's impossible to know whether they have links to Islamic militants — an apparent shift from earlier statements in which he left open the prospects of migrants being admitted with proper vetting. 
 
 "It's not that we don't want to, it's that we can't," Rubio said Sunday on ABC's "This Week." "Because there's no way to background check someone that's coming from Syria. Who do you call and do a background check on them?" 
 
 The question of admitting Syrian refugees has for months been part of the national security discussion among 2016 candidates that cuts to the heart of the American identity as a refuge. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on Sunday told NBC's "Meet the Press" that the U.S. should admit Syrian Christians, after proper vetting. Other Republican candidates have called for a ban on allowing Syrians into the U.S. All three Democratic presidential candidates have said they would admit Syrians but only after thorough background checks. 
 
 But Friday night's mass killings in Paris, which left at least 129 people dead, offered evidence that may have backed up what many, including Rubio, had been warning: People with secret ties to Islamic militants could flow across borders as part of waves of refugees. 
 
 Authorities said a Syrian passport found near one of the Paris attackers that had been registered last month and traveled through three countries along a busy migrant corridor known for lax controls. It was not clear whether the document was real or forged. Officials on Sunday were still trying to identify people involved in the conspiracy. They said as many as three of the seven suicide bombers who died in the attacks were French citizens. 
 
 A spokesman for President Barack Obama said Sunday that the administration is moving forward with its plan to thoroughly vet and admit as many as 10,000 Syrian refugees. 
 
 "What we need to be able to do frankly is sort out that foreign fighter flow, those who have gone into Syria and come out and want to launch attacks or those people who have connections with ISIL in Syria," Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said on Fox News Sunday. "At the same time, we have to recognize there's tragic victims of this conflict, there are women, and children, orphans of this war and I think we need to do our part, along with our allies, to provide them a safe haven." 
 
 GOP presidential hopeful Ben Carson said Syrian refugees should not be brought to the U.S. because it is too easy for jihadis, intent on "wreaking havoc in this country," to embed with them. "There's no reason we should be facilitating such a thing," he said after a southern Nevada rally Sunday. Instead, he spoke of giving Syrians unspecified help to stay in their country. 
 
 The Paris attacks have elevated national security in the presidential contest. In Saturday night's Democratic presidential debate, which began with a moment of silence for the Paris victims, all three candidates — former secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton, Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley — said the U.S. should admit far more than the 10,000 Syrians to which Obama has committed, but only with proper screening. 
 
 Rubio on Sunday said that was impossible. 
 
 "You can't pick up the phone and call Syria, and that's one of the reasons why I said we won't be able to take more refugees," Rubio said on ABC. 
 
 That is a switch from Rubio's other statements this fall, in which he voiced skepticism about proper vetting but still left the door open to admitting refugees. In September, he told Boston Herald radio: "We've always been a country that's been willing to accept people who have been displaced. And I would be open to that if it can do it in a way that allows us to ensure that among them are not infiltrated, people who are part of a terrorist organization." 
 
 Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, meanwhile, said Sunday that the U.S. has a responsibility to "help with refugees after proper screening." 
 
 "And I think our focus ought to be on the Christians who have no place in Syria anymore," he added in NBC's "Meet the Press." ''They're being beheaded, they're being executed by both sides. And I think we have a responsibility to help." 
 
 ___ 
 
 Associated Press writer Sally Ho contributed to this report from Henderson, Nevada. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Follow Laurie Kellman on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/APLaurieKellman
– Friday's terror attacks in Paris rocked the world, but President Obama appeared steadfast Monday in his overall strategy to go after the Islamic State. In a presser held after Turkey's G20 summit, Obama said that even though ISIS is "the face of evil" and that Paris' attacks were "a terrible and sickening setback," he has no plans to add ground troops, reports Bloomberg. Instead, he said, the US will double down on current tactics, including continued airstrikes and training local military in Iraq and Syria, notes USA Today. "There will be an intensification of the strategy that we put forward, but the strategy that we put forward is the strategy that ultimately is going to work," he said, per Reuters. "But … it is going to take time." He noted that holding off on ground troops "is not just my view, but the view of my closest military and civilian advisers, that [boots on the ground] would be a mistake." Obama's reasons against deploying ground troops included the likelihood of more casualties and avoiding a situation similar to Iraq in 2003, with no clearly spelled-out exit plan, USA Today notes. "[It's] not because our military could not march into … Raqqa and temporarily clear out [ISIS], but because we would see a repetition of what we've seen before," Obama said, per CNBC. "If you do not have local populations that are committed to inclusive governance and who are pushing back against ideological extremes, then they resurface." Obama also noted that the US will still accept Syrian refugees, saying, "Slamming the door in their faces would be a betrayal of our values." That puts him at odds with two governors, as well as Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, and Jeb Bush. (Anonymous plans to wage its own war against ISIS.)