White House: It's not just about Islamic extremists

By Paige Winfield Cunningham, Paige Winfield Cunningham

Published December 20, 2015

President Obama is asking Congress for authority to battle the Islamic State, but the White House emphasized Monday that its upcoming conference on violent extremism isn't just about Muslim extremists.

"It features some of the longer-running terrorist threats that people forget about such as FARC in Columbia," a senior administration official said. "I think we will see through the complexity of the discussion that extremism is a broader trend. There are lessons to be learned to counter all types of violent extremism."

The White House is hosting a conference this week on violent extremism, which it had delayed for about six months. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson first announced the conference in September, as concerns mounted about Islamic State aggression and its efforts to recruit fighters.

President Obama will speak Wednesday and Thursday at the conference, which officials said will focus on how private and community leaders can work with the government to counter extremism.