Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday there is no “specific threat” against the United States from the Islamic State ahead of the busy Thanksgiving holiday.
Security within the country has become a top issue in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris 10 days ago, as the Islamic State has said it would carry out similar attacks in other world capitals, including Washington, D.C.
Over the weekend, authorities in Belgium launched a series of strikes in an effort to stop what they deemed to be an imminent threat of an attack there. That situation prompted the U.S. embassy in Brussels to declare a Level 4 threat level, which is a “serious threat of imminent attack.”
Belgium closed all its schools and train stations Monday, and police were conducting searches throughout Brussels.
Within the United States, officials have been debating whether to continue taking in Syrian refugees, or whether those refugees should be screened more closely to ensure they aren’t terrorists in disguise. But the Obama administration has said the U.S. must be allowed to take in refugees, and Kerry assured listeners Monday that the Islamic State would be defeated.
“I believe ISIS is going to be defeated. ISIS is not 10-feet tall,” Kerry told Savannah Guthrie Monday in an interview on NBC’s “Today Show.” “The pace has to be picked up and more needs to be done and everybody understands that.”
“There is a very clear focus by everybody, there is a united front, and I am absolutely convinced that Daesh will be defeated and there will be increased steps taken in order to do so,” Kerry said, using the administration’s preferred term for ISIS. “People need to not panic. There is a strategy in place that is growing by the day.”
Kerry, who met with French President Francois Hollande last week to discuss efforts against terrorism, spoke from the United Arab Emirates, his first stop during his Middle East tour this week. He also heads to Israel and the West Bank to meet with senior government officials to discuss Syria and the recent spike in violence in the region.
Hollande will meet with President Obama at the White House on Tuesday.
