Kerry arrives in Egypt

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Egypt on Saturday, in his latest stop in a diplomatic push to build regional support for President Barack Obama`s strategy to combat ISIS.

His visit to Cairo follows talks with leaders in Turkey on Friday and meetings with Arab leaders in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, a day earlier.

"What we are doing is engaging in a very significant counterterrorism operation," Kerry told CNN`s Elise Labott in Jeddah.

"It`s going to go on for some period of time. If somebody wants to think about it as being a war with ISIL, they can do so, but the fact is it`s a major counterterrorism operation that will have many different moving parts."

Obama outlined a plan this week to "dismantle and ultimately destroy" the Sunni extremist group that has seized a swath of territory across Iraq and Syria.

ISIS has said it`s bent on creating an Islamic "caliphate," where harsh Sharia law governs every aspect of life.