Obama says expects Taliban to continue strategy of violence under new leader

U.S. President Barack Obama leaves after attending a news conference during the 2016 Ise-Shima G7 Summit in Shima, Japan May 26, 2016. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

ISE-SHIMA, Japan (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Thursday he expects the Taliban to continue a strategy of violence following the appointment of a hardline leader, adding that the United States aims to uphold Afghanistan's fragile democratisation and prevent its use as a base by Islamic State.

"This continues to be an organisation that sees violence as a strategy for obtaining its goals and moving its agenda forward in Afghanistan," said Obama, told reporters during a Group of Seven summit at Ise-Shima in central Japan.