MOSCOW, September 23 (RIA Novosti) – The United States will not allow geography or borders to stand in the way of its campaign against the Islamic State (IS) militant group, US Secretary of State John Kerry was reported as saying Tuesday.
"We will not allow geography or borders to prevent us from taking action [against the IS]," Kerry said at a press conference following his meeting with Iraqi President Fuad Masum, as quoted by Associated Press (AP).
"We will hold them [IS militants] responsible for their grotesque atrocities," Kerry stressed, adding that "we will not allow them to find safe haven where they think they can have sanctuary against accountability."
Earlier on Tuesday, US President Barack Obama pledged to continue the fight against IS militants and to build up the anti-IS international coalition, which now comprises over 40 countries.
The Unites States carried out a number of airstrikes against IS positions in Syria on Tuesday, using aircraft, drones and Tomahawk missiles. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates also reportedly took part in the attacks.
Obama unveiled a strategy for defeating the IS on September 10. The plan includes forming an international coalition to fight the radical organization and authorizing US airstrikes against IS positions in Syria, while simultaneously continuing airstrikes in Iraq, which the United States authorized in August.
The United States also plans to provide support, equipment and training to Kurdish and Iraqi forces and Syria's opposition to respond to the IS threat.
The IS, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), has been fighting against Syrian government since 2012. In June 2014, the group extended its attacks to northern and western Iraq. Ceasing vast territories in both countries and forcing thousands of people, mostly religious minorities, to flee, the IS declared a caliphate on all the territories under its control.
