Obama, UK leader discuss Tunisia terrorist attack

President Obama phoned British Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday to discuss a terror attack in Tunisia that raised concerns about the growing threat posed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). 

{mosads}The president called Cameron “to express his condolences over the loss of British life in Tunisia and said that the United States stood firmly by the U.K. during this difficult time,” according to the prime minister’s office. 

“The leaders discussed the importance of working together with countries like Tunisia to tackle the threat posed by Islamist extremism,” Cameron’s office said.

Obama also phoned Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi to offer condolences for the victims of the attack and pledge U.S. support for the investigation, the White House said.

ISIS claimed credit for last Friday’s attack on a Tunisian beach resort, which killed 39 people. The group also took responsibility for a bombing that killed 25 people at a Kuwaiti mosque. 

The strikes prompted concerns that ISIS has bolstered its ability to inspire attacks outside the two countries where it holds territory: Iraq and Syria. 

The federal government issued a bulletin to local law enforcement agencies warning about the potential of terrorist attacks around the July 4 holiday on the same day as the overseas attacks. 

Press secretary Josh Earnest said Monday there is no “specific, credible intelligence” against U.S. targets on July 4. Instead, he said the move is “part of our standard operating procedure.”

But he said lone-wolf style attacks, such as the one in Tunisia, are often the toughest to prevent. He also noted ISIS’s public calls to carry out attacks during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which is taking place now.

This story was updated at 6:35 p.m.