Iraq militants will bring battle to U.S. if they aren’t stopped, lawmakers warn
'Iraq and Syria combined are going to be the staging area for the next 9/11 if we don't do anything about it,' Sen. Lindsey Graham said. 'If Baghdad falls, if the central government falls, a disaster awaits us of monumental proportions.' ‘The threat is to the U.S. and to our European allies,’ House Intelligence Chairman Mike Rogers cautioned Sunday. ‘These are sophisticated, command and controlled, seasoned combat veterans who understand the value of terrorism operations external to the region.’
BY ADAM EDELMAN
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Sunday, June 15, 2014
The radical Sunni militants rampaging through war-torn Iraq will bring their battle to the U.S. if they are not stopped, a prominent lawmaker warned Sunday.
"This is as dangerous as it gets," House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Rogers said on "Fox News Sunday, issuing a devastating warning that the growing Al Qaeda contingent in Iraq presents a problem that “we're either going to face in New York City or we're going to face it (in Iraq).”
“These are not monkey bar terrorists out in the desert somewhere planning some very low-level attack,” the Michigan Republican added, amid reports that a heavily armed and well-funded Al Qaeda-linked group called the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria seized two major Iraqi cities and seemed poised to march on Baghdad. “These are sophisticated, command and controlled, seasoned combat veterans who understand the value of terrorism operations external to the region, meaning Europe and the United States.”
Rogers’ fears were echoed by his colleague, Sen. Lindsey Graham, who issued dire caution of his own.
Iraq and Syria combined are going to be the staging area for the next 9/11 if we don't do anything about it.
“Iraq and Syria combined are going to be the staging area for the next 9/11 if we don't do anything about it," the South Carolina Republican said on CNN's "State of the Union" of the radical Sunni militants marching through much of Iraq. ‘“If Baghdad falls, if the central government falls, a disaster awaits us of monumental proportions.”
But the two men differed strongly on how the U.S. should react to the growing violence, with Rogers pushing for an indefinite air strike campaign and Arab League involvement, and Graham, surprisingly, calling for the White House to enlist the help of Iran.
“This is not going to go away. Neither is Al Qaeda. This is very proof why a sustained campaign against Al Qaeda cannot go away,” Rogers said of the need for sustained air strikes. He declined to put a timeline on an aerial effort, but ruled out putting troops on the ground.
RAINIER EHRHARDT/AP'Iraq and Syria combined are going to be the staging area for the next 9/11 if we don't do anything about it,' South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday.
“We need to do something to stop their momentum,” he said.
Graham, on the other hand, implored the White House to strategically work with the Iranian regime — which the hawkish Republican has repeatedly criticized — to stabilize a rapidly deteriorating Iraq.
“We're going to probably need to their help to hold Baghdad," Graham said on CBS's “Face the Nation.” "Why did we deal with Stalin? Because he was not as bad as Hitler, in our eyes,” he added. "We're going to have to have some dialog with the Iranians that says ‘let's coordinate our efforts.’”
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Meanwhile, New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, offered a much narrower response, suggesting that a brisk round of drone strikes and surveillance should be the only actions the U.S. takes.
"We can (protect Americans) with surveillance and drones,” Schumer said at a press conference Sunday.” "We should not have troops on the ground, nor should we make decisions about who should govern."
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/iraq-militants-bring-battle-u-s-aren-stopped-lawmakers-warn-article-1.1830737#ixzz34ll2NFcL
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