Obama says 'need to unite to combat forces like ISIS and Al-Qaeda', calls them 'an assault on the entire world'

New Delhi: US President Barack Obama on Monday urged the world leaders to unite against terrorist forces like Al-Qaeda and ISIS to ensure a world that moves forward rather than backward.

During his address at the United Nations General Assembly, the US President stressed on the need to eradicate the menace of terrorism, asserting that the “US will not hesitate in protecting itself and its allies".

"Forces like ISIS and Al-Qaeda are an assault on the entire world", said Obama."US doesn't regret going after forces like ISIS as part of a large coalition. While our military is capable enough, it is not sufficient to tackle the menace of terrorism."

"We will help any legitimate government that wants the world community to come together" said Obama.

Obama also urged both Muslims as well as non-Muslims to reject terrorism in the name of religion.

On the Iran Nuclear deal, the US president said that the deal prevents Iran from developing nuclear weapons but enables the country to access clean energy.

Stressing on the need to resolve the South China Sea conflict, Obama asked for the cooperation of China and other stakeholders.

"US wants China and other stakeholders to resolve the South China Sea issue...China must follow international law, " said Obama.

Referring to the ongoing Ukraine crisis, the US President said that while America does not want to go back to the era of cold war, it cannot ignore the crisis involving Russia.

The US president further asked for international cooperation to eradicate poverty."Together we can eradicate poverty, but this requires a sustained commitment," said Obama.

Obama also talked about the need for clean energy for the “generations to come", saying, "We can roll back the pollution we have emitted...we must harness the potential of clean energy."

At the end of his speech, Obama said, "My belief in moving forward rather than backward requires us to follow democratic principles. Democracies will take different forms in different parts of the world, but some universal truths are common."