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U.S., France "ready" to escalate military offensive against IS after Paris attacks: Kerry

Xinhua, November 17, 2015 Adjust font size:

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday said Washington and Paris were ready to stage a strong military offensive against Islamic State (IS) insurgents in Syria in coming weeks after it claimed responsibility for multiple attacks in Paris on Friday night.

"I'm convinced that over the course of the next weeks, Daech will feel greater pressure that we are going to make to defeat it. They are feeling it today. They felt it yesterday," said Kerry after he met French President Francois Hollande at the Elysee Palace.

"We gained more territory," he added.

The U.S. top diplomat flew to France on Monday to pay tribute to the 129 victims killed at coordinated shootings and suicide bombings in Paris last Friday.

"We agreed to exchange information. We will take all the measure in all areas to increase our efforts and action against Daech," Kerry was quoted as saying by local media.

France was the first European country to join the U.S.-led coalition to battle IS in Iraq and Syria in a move to halt the Islamist group's offensive in the region where it had seized major towns.

Kerry said Hollande would travel to Washington next week to meet his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama.

A meeting between Hollande and Russian President Vladimir Putin is also scheduled for next week in a bid to forge a strong front to eradicate terrorists. Enditem