The U.S. military has stepped up its offensive against Islamic State militants in response to the Tuesday terror attack in New York City, President Trump said in two tweets Friday.
ISIS claimed credit Thursday for the truck attack by Uzbekistan native Sayfullo Saipov, saying he was a “soldier” of their cause. Eight people died when he drove a truck down a bike/pedestrian path in Manhattan on Halloween afternoon.
While the group provided no evidence for its claim, Trump appeared to confirm it, saying the military has ‘hit ISIS ‘much harder’ over the last two days” in response to the attack.
He warned that ISIS will “pay a big price” for any attack on the U.S.
The Syrian army announced on Friday it had liberated the city of Deir el-Zour from the Islamic State. But Syria works independently of the U.S. against militant groups in its country.
As he departed for an 11-day Asia trip Friday morning, Trump told reporters that “from this point forward,” any time the U.S. can confirm an ISIS attack, “we are hitting them ten times harder.”
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