US to experience Threat from Islamic Extremists living in the United States

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Last week, a former commanding general at Fort Bliss in Texas, Retired Maj. Gen. Dana Pittard shared his observations in an interview with Border Report. His comments came after bombings at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan killed at least 13 US service members, Taliban militants, and a large number of Afghan civilians. Pittard said radicalized terrorist sympathizers are already in our country to pose a major problem for the US than any security issues at the US-Mexico border. He doesn’t just know about conditions at Fort Bliss, he also knows about fighting terrorists in combat: After leaving Fort Bliss in 2013. Border Report said Pittard led US troops against ISIS fighters in Iraq in 2014. Some legislators in the US expressed concern that terrorists might feel emboldened by the Kabul carnage to try to enter the US and launch similar destruction on American soil after the Kabul attacks.

US Rep. Tony Gonzales tweeted and said, “Suicide bombs in Kabul today, suicide bombs in the US tomorrow. Biden must IMMEDIATELY secure our southern border before it’s too later!” But Pittard informed Border Report that the US experienced a bigger problem regarding security here at home: the radicalization of people who have already entered the US. He said, “Yes, we’re always concerned with our border not being secure, but I think it’s a bigger problem radicalizing people who are already in our country”. Pittard added, “The idea that they would cross the border, they don’t have to”. He also explained, “Terrorist sympathizers already live in the United States. Terror groups like al Qaeda, ISIS or the ISIS-K affiliate in Afghanistan can radicalize people already in our country, which they have shown that they can do, and well”.

Pittard is well aware of the concerns of US border communities, especially in recent months, as more than 1.2 million illegal immigrants have crossed into the US. A new concern for the El Paso area: Both Fort Bliss in Texas and nearby Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico are among the sites selected to temporarily house Afghan refugees as they arrive in the US. The officials of the Biden administration are unclear about how many Afghan refugees will be sheltered at the facilities. Legislators and local community members have raised concerns about just how well those arriving refugees will be vetted. US Sen. Ted Cruz raised safety concerns regarding Fort Bliss on Friday. Cruz said, “I’m very concerned that the Biden administration is bringing tens of thousands of refugees into the United States without thoroughly vetting them”.