US vows aggressive global counterterror push, warns of ISIS and Iran threats

Washington, Dec 13: The Trump administration is committed to preventing a major terrorist attack on the US homeland by dismantling global terror networks, confronting state sponsors and expanding burden-sharing with allies, the nominee for America’s top counterterrorism post told lawmakers.
Gregory D. LoGerfo, nominated as coordinator for counterterrorism and ambassador-at-large at the State Department, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the terrorist threat facing the US has evolved since the September 11 attacks, with groups such as ISIS and al-Qaida continuing to recruit and inspire violence worldwide.
“ISIS and al-Qaida continue to recruit, radicalize and encourage their followers across the globe to conduct attacks in their home countries,” LoGerfo said. “The New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans was a stark reminder of ISIS’s persistent reach, capabilities and ambitions.”
LoGerfo said the administration’s counterterrorism approach is focused on “destroying and disrupting terrorist networks, holding state sponsors accountable, securing our borders and degrading the capacity of terrorist groups to threaten the United States.”
He cited Trump’s designation of “14 cartels and gangs as foreign terrorist organisations,” saying the administration would confront “the narco terrorists wreaking havoc in the homeland and across the Western Hemisphere.”
LoGerfo also warned of continued threats from Iran and its proxies, despite Tehran’s weakened position.
“Although Iran has been greatly weakened, Tehran and its terrorist proxies, including the Houthis, Hezbollah and Hamas, continue to destabilise the Middle East and show interest in expanding their reach to other regions,” he said. (IANS)