CAMP PENDLETON, California (AP) — President Barack Obama says security threats will never lead the U.S. to retreat from the world. He says Americans don’t get terrorized.
Obama was responding Wednesday to new threats from al-Qaida that led the U.S. to close 19 diplomatic outposts and evacuate the U.S. Embassy in Yemen.
Obama said it’s a complicated time for the U.S. military. He said there have been big changes, especially in the Middle East and in North Africa.
Obama said the U.S. will remain, in his words, “the greatest force for freedom the world has ever known.” He said the military is an integral part of that mission. But he said the U.S. must also lead with its ideals and values.
Obama was speaking to troops and their families at Camp Pendleton, California.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.