Transcript for 4 Americans killed, 3 injured in bomb blast by ISIS in northern Syria

The president right now is actually going to speak at the Pentagon speaking today talking about technologies in US missile defense. But the White House is still facing questions. Over the death of four service members in Syria. As they say ice is has been defeated ABC senior national correspondent here Moran is in Washington right now and carry it struck me that even after that attack. The vice president Mike Pence continued this White House line of ice this has been defeated it. With the Pentagon agree with him. It was awkward and it depends I guess on what the meaning of the word defeat is from the president and the vice president perspective because ice is no longer controls. That giant swath of territory. That they rolled through in. 2015. All the way through some northern Syria all the way in or are down almost to the city of ramadi in Iraq. Because they have bent driven from control of that territory. And I are really now hiding out and holes in neighborhoods and some of these cities. That means they are defeated. But obviously they can still strike Americans there are thousands of vices fighters in Iraq and in Syria. By some measure many thousands. They have not disappeared they've kind of faded back into the background they still obviously have some kind of operational system in order to carry out the deadly attack that they did yesterday in the C a mound beach in Syria if the deadliest day. For Americans since they entered Syria. To three years four years ago now 2015. And so you see there. The devastation in that restaurant and was it was where the Americans were suicide attack suggests that crisis is not defeat. We'll answer and even if the talk about winning though it might be over hyped from what we've heard about it. There isn't he says four things as normal don't seem to be working that great either right if we're still seeing this so as the president talked about on the campaign trail in a lot of Americans are asking. What are we doing what are we doing in the Middle East being what is the strategy even if people like Lindsey Graham say we've got to stay the course. Right you know then that is a question that Americans have and and it's one the president has had any has been determined that as was the last president. Not tipped in their mind waste so much American energy in the world. In one part of the world in the Middle East President Obama tried to get out of Iraqi dried. Get out of not go into Syria he tried to stay away tried to reorient American foreign policy toward. Rising China that challenge there and the rest of the world he couldn't. President trump has tried as well so what are we doing in stairwell because Syria is such. Complicated. Snake pit. Just venomous kinds of forces. This foreign policy and military establishment haven't telling these presidents you can't not get in that game everybody else's Iran. Russia Saudi Arabia Israel Turkey. And unfortunately that is one of the most strategic areas of the world because there's so much oil there got made all the dinosaurs down there is that. Is these dole joked. But it's not it deadly serious. That it is strategically crucial and to get out and leave it. Two the other countries would damage American interest but president trump wants out. Those American troops are coming out. Option they just have to do it as as they now acknowledge not right away which you may as president trump made it sound like but gradually orderly. Coordinated with allies and safely. No easy not to say that ice is has been defeated but he tried telling out today to four grieving. American families that's Terry Moran in Washington thanks a lot Terry.

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