French, Canadian leaders offer condolences over Orlando attack

The leaders of France and Canada expressed their condolences to U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday for the attack in the U.S. city of Orlando, the White House said.

In the deadliest shooting of U.S. history, a man who'd pledged allegiance to the Islamic State killed at least 49 people and wounded 53 others at a gay nightclub in the city on Sunday.

Obama spoke with French President Francois Hollande by telephone, expressing his gratitude to French leaders who visited the U.S. Embassy in Paris and showed France's sympathy for the victims in the shooting incident, the White House said in a statement.

Obama also offered consolation to his French counterpart for Monday's fatal attack on a French police officer and his partner in Paris by a man who had declared allegiance to the IS.

In a separate telephone call, Obama exchanged condolences with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by offering his own compassion to the death of Canadian citizen Robert Hall, who had been held hostage and killed by al Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf Islamist militant group recently.

Moreover, both leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to degrading and destroying the IS and standing against the broader scourge of terrorism. Endi