WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Barack Obama on Thursday (Friday in Manila) vowed to continue hammering Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria, but acknowledged that pressure on the jihadists was prompting them to lash out beyond their self-proclaimed caliphate.

Speaking after meeting security and military officials in the Pentagon, Obama also blasted President Vladimir Putin’s policy in Syria, saying he doubted the Russian leader could be trusted to cooperate on helping end the country’s bloody civil war.

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