WASHINGTON - Islamic militants growing influence in Iraq and Syria is a threat to Americans, lawmakers from both political parties agreed Sunday even as they sharply split on what role the United States should play in trying to crush them. President Barack Obama last week approved limited airstrikes against Islamic State fighters, whose rapid rise in June plunged Iraq into its worst crisis since the end of 2011, when U.S. troops withdrew from the country at the end of an unpopular eight-year war. Obama said the current military campaign would be a long-term project to protect civilians from the deadly and brutal insurgents. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said the militants threaten not just Iraqis but also Americans. He said Obamas strikes were insufficient to turn back the militants and were designed to avoid a bad news story on his watch. I think of an American city in flames because of the terrorists ability to operate in Syria and in Iraq, said Graham, a reliable advocate for using U.S. military force overseas. They are coming here, Graham later added about the militants. This is just not about Baghdad. This is just not about Syria. It is about our homeland. Graham added that if Islamic State militants attack the United States because Obama has no strategy to protect us, he will have committed a blunder for the ages. The chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, D-Calif., also said the militants pose a threat in our backyard and were recruiting westerners. Inaction is no longer an option, she said in a statement as airstrikes were underway. neepawapress/article/20140810/CP01/308109964/-1/neepawa10/warning-of-attack-on-us-soil-some-lawmakers-urge-strong-response-to&template=cpArt
Posted on: Mon, 11 Aug 2014 00:33:19 +0000
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