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                  San Bernardino to Reopen After Terror Attack

   by VOA News

   Thousands of government workers in San Bernardino, California are
   starting to go back to work Monday, days after a married couple opened
   fire on an office holiday party, killing 14 people and wounding 21
   others.

   Local officials said there would be increased security in the area that
   is still coming to terms with what President Barack Obama called "act
   of terrorism designed to kill innocent people."

   In a rare televised address from the Oval Office late Sunday, President
   Obama discussed the attack and sought to reassure Americans on the U.S.
   strategy to combat terror.

   The president said the two killers had gone down the "dark path of
   radicalization, embracing a perverted interpretation of Islam."  But he
   said there is no evidence yet that they were directed by any terrorist
   organization overseas or that they were part of any broader conspiracy
   in the United States.

   ''U.S.-born Syed Rizwan Farook and his Pakistani wife Tashfeen Malik
   carried out the attack at a gathering of local government workers last
   Wednesday in San Bernardino, about an hour's drive east of Los Angeles.

   Their car was later spotted and they were killed as they exchanged
   gunfire with police.  Now, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is
   investigating what led Farook and Malik to carry out the attack.

   Federal officials said Malik pledged allegiance to an IS militant
   leader in a Facebook post and that Farook had contact with individuals
   linked to terror groups.

   ''Terrorist threats

   Obama said the United States has hardened its defenses against
   terrorist threats.  He noted intelligence and law enforcement agencies
   have disrupted countless plots, both at home and overseas.  He said the
   U.S. military and counterterrorism professionals have relentlessly
   pursued terrorist networks overseas, disrupting safe havens in several
   different countries.

   But he noted that over the past few years, terrorists are turning to
   what he called "less complicated acts of violence" like the mass
   shootings that he said are "all too common in our society," including
   the San Barnardino attack as one example.

   Although the president said his administration is constantly examining
   its counter-terrorism strategy to see if additional steps are needed to
   protect Americans, his speech included no new policy changes or
   announcements.

   Instead, he sought to reassure the American public that he and his
   administration are taking the threat of terrorism seriously.

   Obama said he understands that Americans are asking if "we are
   confronted by a cancer that has no immediate cure."  But he pledged,
   "We will destroy ISIL," using an acronym for the Islamic State terror
   group, "and any other organization that tries to harm us."

   He promised the U.S. military will continue to hunt down terrorist
   leaders in any country where it is necessary.  He also said the United
   States will continue to provide training and equipment to tens of
   thousands of Iraqi and Syrian forces fighting IS.

   He said the international community has begun to work toward
   establishing a timeline to bring an end to the Syrian war.

   ''Gun laws

   The president said Congress should act to make sure no one on the U.S.
   no-fly list is able to buy a gun.  He again reiterated his call for
   lawmakers to tighten U.S. gun laws, saying no matter how effective law
   enforcement and intelligence are, they cannot identify every would-be
   shooter.  He called it a matter of national security to prevent
   potential killers from getting guns.

   Earlier, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called on the president
   to outline plans for a ground force to dismantle the Islamic State
   terror group.
   But Obama told his audience the United States will not be pulled into a
   protracted ground war in Syria or Iraq, even as it steps up the fight
   against Islamic State.

   "We should not be drawn once more into a long and costly ground war in
   Iraq and Syria.  That is what groups like ISIL want," Obama said.

   Finally, the president implored Americans not to turn against Muslims
   at home, saying IS is driven by a desire to spark a war between the
   West and Islam.  He also called for Muslims to take up the cause of
   fighting extremism.

   Obama said he is confident that "we will succeed in this mission,
   because we are on the right side of history."  He appealed to
   Americans, "Let's not forget that freedom is more powerful than fear."

   VOA White House Correspondent Mary Alice Salinas and Chris Hannas
   contributed to this report
     __________________________________________________________________

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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/san-bernardino-to-reopen-after-terror-attack-/3092199.html