John Kerry: The recent terror attacks mean #ISIS is "on the run" https://t.co/6OZtrfIwim #CNNSOTU https://t.co/opJa38w4x6
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) July 17, 2016
Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday that the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is “on the run.”
“They are on the run, and I believe what we are seeing are the desperate actions of an enemy that sees the noose closing around them,” he said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“I don’t know if this guy was actually ISIS, and nor do you,” Kerry said, referring to the recent attack in Nice, France.
“We don’t know that the guy in Orlando was fundamentally ISIS nor even told what to do by ISIS. If people are inspired, they’re inspired. But ISIL, which is based in Iraq and Syria, is under huge pressure.”
Kerry also said Sunday that the attempted coup in Turkey has had no effect on the fight against ISIS.
{mosads}”I talked three times yesterday with the foreign minister of Turkey. They assured me there will be no interruption in our counter-ISIL efforts,” Kerry said, using the administration’s preferred acronym for ISIS.
“They have absolutely assured of their commitment to the fight against Daesh,” Kerry added, using the Arabic name for the terror group.
“According to our commanders, there may have been a minor delay here or there or something, but it has not affected the fundamental direction or commitment to the fight.”
Hundreds were reportedly killed, including many civilians, after a faction of the armed forces tried to seize power in Turkey on Friday.
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