US Must Identify Citizens Fighting for ISIL Says John Rees
The United States should reveal the names of Americans who officials say are fighting for the ISIL terrorist group and take action to stop them, says a political commentator.
“No state has actually named the people they claim to know about,” said John Rees of Stop the War Coalition, in a phone interview with Press TV. “One has to ask the question why not?”
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Wednesday that more than 100 Americans are fighting alongside ISIL. This is the first time the Pentagon chief has put a number on US citizens aiding the terrorists.
“Do they not know the names? Is this a guess? If they do know the names why are not they taking action to detain them?” Rees asked.
“This is being used for propaganda purposes in order to justify military intervention in Iraq yet again,” he noted.
Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, has warned that hundreds of Americans had joined ISIL and could return to the US using their American passports.
About 500 Britons are also thought to be fighting with ISIL, along with hundreds more from France, Russia and other European countries.
An estimated 12,000 foreign militants, including Americans, have traveled to Syria to fight the government there, according to the State Department.
Bob Baer, a former CIA operative, has warned that sleeper cells of ISIL are already in the United States and capable of launching an attack on the homeland. He said that some American citizens who have been to Syria were now back in the United States by crossing the Mexican border.
R.S