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US official says 2 Americans perished in Brussels attacks 2 Americans confirmed dead in Brussels attacks; Kerry visits
(35 minutes later)
BRUSSELS — At least two American citizens have been confirmed killed in this week’s attacks in Brussels, a U.S. official said Friday, as Secretary of State John Kerry is visiting the city to express his condolences to the Belgian people. BRUSSELS — At least two Americans have been confirmed killed in the Brussels attacks, a U.S. official said Friday, as Secretary of State John Kerry visited the stricken city to express condolences and defended Belgium’s counter-terrorism efforts against “carping” by critics.
Speaking after meeting with Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, Kerry said the “United States is praying and grieving with you for the loved ones of those cruelly taken from us, including Americans, and for the many who were injured in these despicable attacks.” Speaking after meeting Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, Kerry said the “United States is praying and grieving with you for the loved ones of those cruelly taken from us, including Americans, and for the many who were injured in these despicable attacks.”
He did not give a specific number but a senior official said the families of two Americans had been informed of their deaths in Tuesday’s attacks. The official, who was not authorized to speak to the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, did not have further details. Kerry did not offer specific details, but a senior official said the families of two Americans had been informed of their deaths in the attacks Tuesday. The official, who was not authorized to speak to the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, did not have further details. The bombings killed 31 people and wounded 270.
“The United States stands firmly with Belgium and with the nations of Europe in the face of this tragedy,:” Kerry said, adding that the world will not relent in its fight against the Islamic State group, which has claimed the attacks. Visiting the Belgian capital on a hastily arranged stop, Kerry said all governments must consistently improve their strategies to fight terrorism, but maintained that Belgium had made significant improvements over the past year despite failing to stop Tuesday’s attacks. He noted that Belgium had actively sought additional assistance and that 10 or 11 FBI agents are now in Brussels helping with the investigation.
“We - all of us representing countless nationalities - have a message for those who inspired or carried out the attacks here or in Paris, or Ankara, or Tunis, or San Bernardino, or elsewhere: We will not be intimidated,” he said. “We will not be deterred. We will come back with greater resolve - with greater strength - and we will not rest until we have eliminated your nihilistic beliefs and cowardice from the face of the Earth.” Turkey announced this week that it had warned Belgium last year that one of the Brussels attackers, Ibrahim El Bakraoui, had been flagged as a “foreign terrorist fighter.” The attacks have laid bare intelligence shortcomings that have prompted European authorities to call for quicker and more efficient cooperation.
Talking to reporters, Kerry said the reason the Islamic State group “is resorting to actions outside the Middle East is that its fantasy of a caliphate is collapsing before their eyes; it’s territory is shrinking. Its leaders are decimated. Its revenue sources are dwindling, and its fighters are fleeing. “People are jumping to conclusions,” Kerry said of critics. “I think they are looking for things that just sometimes are very difficult to analyze in the immediate aftermath of something.”
“I don’t know what all the circumstances were, I don’t know if some events or evidence or opportunities were missed specifically,” he told reporters at the residence of the U.S. ambassador to Belgium. “That will come over a period of time, But I think all this carping four days later is a little bit frantic and inappropriate.”
Kerry said that prior to the recent attacks, the U.S. and other countries had already scheduled a number of meetings with Belgium about specific improvements they could make to their laws, intelligence collection and attempts to blunt the radicalization of youth in particular.
He said the reason the Islamic State group “is resorting to actions outside the Middle East is that its fantasy of a caliphate is collapsing before their eyes; its territory is shrinking. Its leaders are decimated. Its revenue sources are dwindling, and its fighters are fleeing.”
Michel thanked Kerry for his visit, calling it a powerful message of solidarity. “It is very important for us today to receive your support,” he said. He offered condolences for the American victims and vowed to step up counter-terrorism cooperation with the U.S. and others.Michel thanked Kerry for his visit, calling it a powerful message of solidarity. “It is very important for us today to receive your support,” he said. He offered condolences for the American victims and vowed to step up counter-terrorism cooperation with the U.S. and others.
Kerry said he offered the prayers of the American people for “these people who have suffered inconceivable losses.” Both said the fight against the Islamic State will be relentless.
“Those whose lives were torn apart this week were not combatants in any conflict,” the secretary said. “We will not be deterred,” Kerry said. “We will come back with greater resolve - with greater strength - and we will not rest until we have eliminated your nihilistic beliefs and cowardice from the face of the Earth.”
Kerry landed earlier Friday at the still-closed Brussels airport for a brief, hastily scheduled stop from Moscow, where he said the attacks underscored the urgency of unity in the fight against the Islamic State group. The group has claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s bombings at the airport departure terminal and a downtown Metro stop that killed 31 people and wounded 270. Kerry landed earlier Friday at the still-closed Brussels airport for his brief visit from Moscow, where he said the attacks underscored the urgency of unity in the fight against the Islamic State.
The Belgian Embassy, not long after Kerry’s arrival, sent a Twitter message calling his stop here an example of “the solidarity of the American people which goes right to our heart.”
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.