Kerry arrives in Paris in show of U.S. support after attacks

PARIS (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Paris on Monday to pay respects to those killed in last week's attacks in the French capital and to stress Washington's support for a key ally in the war against Islamic State militants. Kerry's visit comes three days after gunmen killed more than 130 people in attacks on bars, a concert hall and a soccer stadium in Paris. He is due to meet President Francois Hollande on Tuesday morning. The U.S. Secretary of State will express "shared resolve to continue countering violent extremism here and around the world", State Department spokesman John Kirby said. President Barack Obama pledged support to France after the attacks, which he called "an outrageous attempt to terrorize innocent civilians". Among those killed in Friday's attacks was a 23-year-old U.S. exchange student, Nohemi Gonzalez, who was dining at a restaurant fired upon by gunmen. France has been bombing Islamic State positions in Iraq and Syria as part of a U.S.-led operation. On Sunday its jets launched their biggest raids in Syria to date, hitting the militant group's stronghold of Raqqa. (Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Dominic Evans)