Obama calls for limited strikes against al-Qaida

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says the U.S. must remain vigilant against al-Qaida as the terror network takes root across the Mideast and North Africa.

The president said during his State of the Union speech Tuesday that America can no longer expect to be safe by pursuing overseas terror networks through war — or even through widespread airstrikes that have been a hallmark of the U.S. fight against extremists.

He said extremism in places like Yemen, Somalia, Iraq and Mali will best be defeated with help from foreign allies and through targeted operations and limited use of unmanned drones.

Obama also called on Congress to lift restrictions on transferring al-Qaida and Taliban detainees held at the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and finally close the prison.