Retired General Caution of ‘Imminent’ ISIS Terrorist Threat in the US
A former top U.S. general issued a warning Sunday that ISIS is once again growing in strength.
The former leader of the U.S. military’s Middle East command expressed concerns about the increasing threat posed by ISIS, just days after the terrorist organization claimed responsibility for an attack that resulted in numerous casualties in Russia.
“Unfortunately, we have eased off the pressure on them, allowing them to grow stronger, plan, and coordinate attacks that impact our homeland,” Mr. McKenzie stated. “As a result, we are essentially playing on their turf rather than defending our own. We have chosen to play a defensive game.”
When questioned by ABC News host Martha Raddatz about the impact of withdrawing U.S. forces from Afghanistan and leaving 2,500 troops behind, the former general acknowledged that the situation would be different.
“Had we kept 2,500 troops along with our NATO partners who would have maintained a presence of 4,000 to 5,000 troops, we could have continued to counter ISIS, which was the primary reason for our presence in Afghanistan—to prevent attacks on our homeland,” Mr. McKenzie explained. “I believe the circumstances would be more favorable now, potentially safer than they are.”
Currently, the United States lacks the ability to monitor or respond to the situation in Afghanistan, allowing ISIS to grow unchecked as there is no pressure on them.
Related Stories
“Our strategy has always been to empower local security forces to handle extremists and prevent them from establishing international connections that allow them to launch attacks abroad—which is challenging in Afghanistan due to the lack of means to detect, strike, and limited resources,” he added.
On March 22, assailants carried out a deadly shooting targeting concert attendees at Moscow’s Crocus City Hall, resulting in a significant loss of life. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack and shared footage of the incident. Intelligence from the United States and France pointed towards ISIS as the perpetrator, with 139 fatalities and 182 people injured.
The motive behind the attack remains unclear. Following their defeat in Syria, ISIS fighters dispersed, leading to the emergence of various factions, including ISIS-Khorasan, an Afghan group with aspirations for a caliphate spanning across multiple countries, as reported by Reuters.
“The threat is growing,” Mr. McKenzie emphasized on Sunday. “It started to escalate immediately after our departure from Afghanistan, which eased the pressure on ISIS-K. Therefore, we should anticipate more attempts like this targeting the United States, our allies, and other nations globally. This outcome seems inevitable.”
US Warning to Russia
In a recent briefing to journalists, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby revealed that the United States had provided Russian security services with a written warning about an extremist attack on large gatherings in Moscow, among several other advance alerts.
“The recent attack in Moscow was undeniably orchestrated by ISIS,” Mr. Kirby stated. “In fact, the United States had attempted to prevent this terrorist incident, and the Kremlin is aware of our efforts.”
This response followed an announcement from Russia’s Investigative Committee claiming that the attackers involved in the incident were connected to “Ukrainian nationalists” and had received financial support from Ukraine in the form of cash and cryptocurrency. Mr. Kirby dismissed these allegations as propaganda.
The United States had issued numerous advance warnings to Russian authorities regarding potential extremist attacks at concerts and large gatherings in Moscow, including a written alert sent on March 7 at 11:15 a.m. to Russia’s security services.
“We followed standard procedures and communicated through established channels as we have done in the past, delivering a written warning to Russian security services,” Mr. Kirby remarked.
In March, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow issued a cautionary notice about an impending terrorist threat targeting “large gatherings, including concerts,” without providing many specifics.
Reuters contributed to this report.
