State Department: The war on ISIS is not ‘war on terror’
The Washington Free Beacon published a video of a State Department rep sending a message very contradictory to the message President Obama gave on Wednesday. The Thursday briefing claims the attacks on Islamic State Sunni Muslims is not part of the “war on terror.”
State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf rejected the expression “war on terrorism” during a briefing Thursday while answering questions on President Obama’s strategy to combat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS).
“Is that something that’s out of the lexicon now of the U.S. government’s comments on what’s happening?” a reporter asked.
“It’s certainly not how I would refer to our efforts,” Harf said.
Real Clear Politics published this: “…the real issue now is becoming different. I mean, even they are announcing ISIL people in their message, whatever the recorded messages and other messages, that now we are in a war with America.”
MS. HARF: This is not about ISIL versus the United States. I think I made that clear yesterday. They are killing anyone who gets in their way – Sunni, Shia Muslims, Christians, Yezidis, Iraqis, Syrians – anyone who gets in their way, and now an American. So this is not about what the United States is or isn’t doing. This is about ISIL’s stated commitment to murder, rape, enslave people who don’t agree with their ideology and who get in their way. And I think the more we can say that – because it’s true – it’s important for people to remember that as they look at the overall picture.
She went on to say “…I am making clear is that’s not what ISIL represents, and they don’t represent any religion. They are at war with everybody they come into contact with. And that’s why we are very focused, when we outline goals, on attacking their targets when they threaten those goals; on helping the Iraqis gain in capability to fight this threat on their own; and, to be very clear, holding people accountable when they hurt our people. That’s something we’re very focused on and that’s certainly what will be a guiding principle of our action going forward.”
“They don’t represent any religion” seems to be contrary to the extreme Sunni movement across the two countries.
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