Kerry in Belgium promises to wipe IS ‘from the face of this earth’
JOHN Kerry, the US Secretary of State, has insisted the Western alliance is winning the battle against so-called Islamic State (IS) and that ultimately the terrorist group will be destroyed and its beliefs wiped “from the face of this earth”.
Standing alongside Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, Mr Kerry expressed condolences for the victims of this week’s terror attacks and showed solidarity with Belgium, declaring: “Je suis Bruxellois”.
The Secretary of State said the US, which lost two of its citizens in this week’s atrocities, was “grieving with you for the loved ones of those cruelly taken from us”.
He said America “stands firmly with Belgium and with the nations of Europe in the face of this trag- edy”, stressing that the world would not relent in its fight against IS.
In a defiant declaration, he said: “We, all of us representing countless nationalities, have a message for IS: we will not be intimidated, we will not be deterred. We will not rest until we have eliminated your nihilistic beliefs and cowardice from the face of this earth.”
In an interview with the CBS TV network, Mr Kerry claimed the American-led alliance was “winning” in its battle against the IS terrorists, also known as Daesh.
“The fact that they can strike by sending a couple of would-be suicidal people into an airport to blow up a bomb does not indicate that they’re winning.
It means they’ve just struck a horrible blow and been willing to take lives with them.”
He insisted the recent bombings were done out of desperation because IS was losing significant ground in their former middle east strongholds; Syrian government forces are said to be near retaking the ancient city of Palmyra.
“Forty percent of the territory that Daesh held has been taken back,” stressed the Secretary of State.
“Their leadership is being taken apart, their revenue is being cut. What you’re seeing – in Paris and Brussels – are desperation, lash-out events.”
He added: “I am confident when I say ... Daesh is under enormous pressure and over a period of time, it is going to be destroyed.”