France asks US, Russia to join forces against IS

French President Francois Hollande arrives to visit the site of the the Bataclan theater after a shooting in Paris, Friday Nov. 13, 2015. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

French President Francois Hollande called on the United States and Russia to join forces to destroy the Islamic State group (or Daesh) in the wake of Friday’s attacks across Paris.

In a grave speech to the parliament, Hollande said he would increase funds for national security, strengthen anti-terror laws and boost border controls.

“France is at war. But we’re not engaged in a war of civilisations, because these assassins do not represent any. We are in a war against jihadist terrorism which is threatening the whole world.”

Daesh has claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying they were in retaliation for French air strikes in Iraq and Syria over the past year.

Hollande said French forces would intensify assaults and said he would meet US President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin in the coming days to urge them to pool their resources.

“We must combine our forces to achieve a result that is already too late in coming,” Hollande said.

Much of France came to a standstill at midday for a minute’s silence to remember the dead. Metro trains stopped, pedestrians paused on pavements and office workers stood at their desks.

Five of the seven dead assailants have been identified, four of whom were Frenchmen and a foreigner fingerprinted in Greece last month. His role in the carnage has fuelled speculation that Islamic State took advantage of a recent wave of refugees fleeing Syria to slip militants into Europe.

Police believe one attacker is on the run, and suspect at least four people helped organize the mayhem. “We know that more attacks are being prepared, not just against France but also against other European countries,” French Prime Minister Manuel Valls told RTL radio. “We are going to live with this terrorist threat for a long time.”

The IS warned in a video on Monday that any country hitting it would suffer the same fate as Paris, promising specifically to target Washington.