Obama Under Fire for Saying that ISIS has been 'Contained' just Hours Before Paris Attack

 

 President Barrack Obama said that ISIS was 'contained' just a day before the terrorist group claimed responsibility for a horrific attack in Paris that killed 128 people on Friday.

In an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that aired on Friday's broadcast of Good Morning America, Obama declared that he didn't believe ISIS (also known as ISIL) was gaining strength. 

'What is true is that from the start, our goal has been first to contain and we have contained them,' Obama said in the interview. 'They have not gained ground in Iraq, and in Syria they’ll come in, they’ll leave, but you don’t see this systemic march by ISIL across the terrain.'

Since Friday's attacks in Paris, several social media users, including Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, have criticized the comments made by Obama, who set off for the two-day Group of 20 summit in Antalya, Turkey, on Saturday. 

'President Obama said "ISIL continues to shrink" in an interview just hours before the horrible attack in Paris. He is just so bad! CHANGE,' Trump wrote on Twitter.

Obama said in his interview that aired on Friday that he had been unable to 'completely decapitate ISIS'.

'What we have not yet been able to do is to completely decapitate their command and control structures,' he said. 

'We’ve made some progress in trying to reduce the flow of foreign fighters, and part our goal has to be to recruit more effective Sunni partners in Iraq to really go on offense rather than simply engage in defense.'

A senior administration official explained the connection between Obama's comments and Friday's attack on Paris to CNN. 

'We, including the President, have said from beginning the fight against ISIL would be long and have both good and bad days,' the official said. 

ISIS has quickly grown during the Obama administration, from an organization the president once called al Qaeda's 'JV (junior varsity) team' to the force that it is today. 

Obama has seen some success against the terror group, through 'trying to reduce the flow of foreign fighters' and drone strikes, one of which may have killed 'Jihadi John', the ISIS executioner who killed several people in propaganda videos. 

'It means exactly what he said,' the senior official said about Obama's comments. 'Their (ISIS's) momentum in terms of territorial gains in Iraq and Syria has been contained/halted.'

US Officials have deferred to the French investigation into what occurred on Friday night in Paris. 

'At this early stage, we have seen nothing that contradicts President Hollander's assessment of the situation,' a senior US intelligence official told CNN, referring to the French casting blame on ISIS.

'This is a French counter terrorism investigation and we are working with French officials to provide any assistance they may need,' the official said. 'When they are able to share information and we, in turn, are able to share public details, we will do so.' 

Obama was flying to Turkey on Saturday for the G-20 summit. The U.S. president and other leaders of the world's top 20 economies will meet Sunday and Monday for the conference.

Obama will then fly to the Philippines and Malaysia as part of a nine-day foreign tour