CAIRO — Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi told The Associated Press on Saturday he is prepared to give whatever support is needed in the fight against the Islamic State group but called for a “comprehensive strategy” to tackle the roots of extremism across the region.

In his first interview with a foreign media outlet since taking office in June, el-Sissi sought to present himself and Egypt as being at the vanguard of confronting militancy, citing it as the reason for his ouster of Egypt’s first freely elected president more than a year ago – a move that brought international criticism and strained ties with top ally the United States.