Hakan Fidan Comments on Attack on US and Syrian Forces

The terrorist group Islamic State no longer poses a systematic threat, but several countries are using it for their own purposes, stated Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

“ISIS has decreased and is no longer a systematic threat... We do not deny that they are a threat that must be fought, but as a fighting nation, we can say that the response to ISIS's actions is disproportionate to the threat presented by the group. This is actually driven by other objectives. ISIS has become a convenient tool for everyone,” Fidan said.

He pointed out that several countries are utilizing ISIS to achieve their political goals, mentioning that former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has also taken advantage of it.

Commenting on today's attack on US and Syrian forces in Palmyra by ISIS, Fidan called it a “provocation.” The Pentagon reported that during the attack in Palmyra, two American servicemen and one civilian translator were killed, while three others were injured. According to the spokesperson for Syria's Ministry of Interior, the attackers were members of the Islamic State terrorist group.