In the same breath, he said not allowing Syrian refugees into the US would betray American values.
Speaking at a news conference following G20 leaders' Summit here, Obama said US will continue working with other countries on a coordinated strategy to destroy the Islamic State without US combat troops.
The Islamic State has claimed responsibility of the Friday's attacks in Paris which killed 129 people and injured 350 others.
"If you do not have local populations that are committed to inclusive governance and who are pushing back against ideological extremes, then they resurface."
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Obama said US can presumably send 50,000 troops into Syria. "What happens when there is a terrorist attack generated from Yemen? Do we then send more troops into there?"
The US-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Iraq and Syria would redouble efforts to implement its current strategy rather than moving in a new direction, he said.
"ISIS is the face of evil," Obama said. "Our goal is to destroy this barbaric organisation."
Ruling out troops on ground as it would not help solve the terrorism problem, he said, "We have the right strategy and we are going to see it through".
The US President said military advisers have told him that ground troops "would be a mistake".