Washington, Dec 13, (IANS) The United States continues to face an evolving threat from the ISIS and al-Qaida despite years of counterterrorism operations, President Donald Trump’s nominee for the State Department’s top counterterrorism role has said.
Gregory D LoGerfo, nominated as coordinator for counterterrorism and ambassador-at-large, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that extremist groups remain active and capable of inspiring attacks worldwide.
“ISIS and al-Qaida continue to recruit, radicalise and encourage their followers across the globe to conduct attacks in their home countries, ” LoGerfo said during his conformation hearing.
He cited recent violence as evidence of the continuing danger.
“The New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans was a stark reminder of ISIS’ persistent reach, capabilities and ambitions, ” he said.
LoGerfo said the Trump administration is focused on preventing attacks by dismantling terror networks and holding state sponsors accountable.
“The Trump administration is committed to preventing a major terrorist attack on the homeland, ” he said, adding that efforts include “destroying and disrupting terrorist networks, securing our borders and degrading the capacity of terrorist groups.”
He said today’s threat landscape differs from that of the post 9/11 era.
“The terrorist threat we face today is different from what we faced following the September 11th attacks, ” LoGerfo said.
LoGerfo also warned that Iran and its proxies remain destabilising forces.
“Although Iran has been greatly weakened, Tehran and its terrorist proxies including the Houthis, Hezbollah and Hamas continue to destabilize the Middle East, ” he said.
He said the US is monitoring potential global threats, including to “US officials, journalists, Jewish targets and Iranian dissidents.”
Addressing Africa, LoGerfo said ISIS and al-Qaida affiliates are expanding in the Sahel, requiring closer cooperation with regional and European partners.
“When we share risk, we need to share burden, ” he said.
On Afghanistan, he said the US continues to confront ISIS Khorasan despite earlier successes.
For India, US assessments that ISIS and al-Qaida remain active align with New Delhi’s longstanding view that extremist networks persist despite territorial losses, underscoring the need for sustained global counterterror cooperation.