United world against terror, Malaysia spirited up

The acts of barbarism by the terrorists do not represent any race or religion, Razak was quoted as saying by Reuters.

Islamist gunmen killed 19 people in an attack on a luxury hotel in Mali on Friday before Malian commandos stormed the building and rescued about 170 guests and staff, most of them foreigners.

The attack came a week after Islamic State attacks in Paris killed 129 people.

"The perpetrators of these cowardly and barbaric acts do not represent any race, religion or creed. We must not allow them to define any of these," Najib said at the opening of the ASEAN summit.

"They are terrorists, and must be fought with the full force of the law."

Malaysia has deployed a massive security force across Kuala Lumpur as leaders from 18 nations, including Obama, arrive for the summit.

Obama himself said the Mali attack only strengthened the resolve of the United States and its allies to relentlessly pursue those who kill civilians and give militant groups no safe haven.

"We will continue to hunt down terrorist networks," Obama said. "We will not allow these killers to have a safe haven."