Among us: Officials confirm American ISIS fighters have returned to United States

Among us: Officials confirm American ISIS fighters have returned to United States
POSTED AT 1:21 PM ON SEPTEMBER 22, 2014 BY NOAH ROTHMAN


America learned in late July that an American-born fundamentalist who fought alongside Islamic militants inside Syria before executing a suicide attack on Bashar al-Assad’s troops in May had freely traveled from Syria to the United States.

“This incident exemplifies the challenges faced by the FBI in detecting US citizens who seek to travel to Syria to engage in jihad,” an FBI spokesman said of the benign infiltration of U.S.-born Moner Mohammad Abusalha. Apparently, that challenge has not yet been overcome by American defense officials.

On Monday, an Obama administration official confirmed that some American citizens who fought with ISIS in Iraq and Syria have come back to the United States.

“During a briefing for reporters Monday in the ornate Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the Administration’s efforts to address the issue of so-called foreign terrorist fighters, the official said that the latest assessment from National Counterterrorism Center is that more than 100 Americans have attempted to fight in Iraq and Syria alongside ISIS or the al-Qaeda affiliated al-Nusra Front,” Time Magazine’s Zeke Miller reported.

“It includes those who’ve gone, those who’ve tried to go, some who’ve come back and are under active—the FBI is looking at them,” the official said. “These are FBI matters, I refer you to them on specifics.”

It marked the first official government confirmation that at least some of the Americans fighting alongside the Islamist extremist group have returned to the U.S. As late as Monday morning, Secretary of State John Kerry said on MSNBC that “we have over 100 fighters there from America,” leaving out any mention of Americans who have returned.
That is not especially comforting.

First, the revelation that the FBI is conducting an ongoing investigation into suspected American jihadist fighters who have returned to the United States would seem to compromise that investigation. Second, based on the FBI’s inability to intercept Abusalha indicates that monitoring jihadists who return to the U.S. remains a significant challenge.

Yahoo News’ Olivier Knox reported on Monday that the administration has been focused on this threat posed by returning jihadists for some time, and the president chaired a special meeting of his national security team on September 17 specifically addressing this issue.

“With respect to the Americans who may be engaged in combat in Iraq and Syria, this is something that our national security agencies and counterterrorism team are taking very seriously,” National Security Advisor Susan Rice said Friday.

“It’s something we track closely. And we are doing obviously all that we can to both gather the necessary information and take the appropriate precautions to the greatest extent that we possibly can,” Rice said.

Asked whether 100 was a relatively low number that might signal success in keeping Americans off Syrian battlefields, the anonymous official replied: “I think that success is 0.”
American officials believe that there are up to 100 Americans who have traveled to Iraq and Syria to fight with Islamist militias. By some estimates, up to 2,000 Europeans are fighting in the Middle East.

On Monday, ISIS leaders called for attacks on the United States and France for executing airstrikes on Islamic State targets. “Do not ask for anyone’s advice and do not seek anyone’s verdict. Kill the disbeliever whether he is civilian or military, for they have the same ruling,” an ISIS spokesman reportedly said. “Both of them are disbelievers. Both of them are considered to be waging war.”

“Rig the roads with explosives for them,” he added. “Attack their bases. Raid their homes. Cut off their heads. Do not let them feel secure. Hunt them wherever they may be. Turn their worldly life into fear and fire. Remove their families from their homes and thereafter blow up their homes.”

So, they are now among us. Can Obama keep us safe?

 

Obama will always keep us safe. Believe in him and all is possible. Paise his name! Obama!

 

This thread makes me want to give a big warm hug to my AR-15.

 

I'll go a little further. America is the only Country in history where there are easily at least 30 MILLION who are armed and ready. ISIS in America? Bring it on.

 

There's a rumor that the ISIS guys work for the CIA so why would they attack us?

 

My haberdasher from Reynolds Wrap told me yesterday that ISIS is the Arabic acronym for ACORN and that the New Black Panthers have been training them in FEMA camps.

 

That does it then. It's not in my budget, but I guess I can use credit to buy one more case of chili, and more water...

 

How did they get back in?

The Obama administration knew about these folks for a long time and they just let them waltz back into the country? Why weren't they detained at the airport and turned over to the FBI for questioning? How do we know they aren't back here to start terrorist acts on our soil?

 

Don't you think this is grounds for impeachment for high treason?

 

Why? Has Obama committed a crime which warrants impeachment? If so, name it; and while you're at it how about arresting Bush and trying him for treason also.

 

they are too busy giving extra screenings to business people heading to a meeting, or checking the diaper on granny

 

Meanwhile, I have a few of these on my books at attractive discount prices for our conservative friends:
http://www.hardenedstructures.com/bunkers-for-Sale.php

 

And from the other thread:

I'm sure we have nothing to worry about Nat.

Secret Service 'Aware' of Apparent ISIS Flag Photo in Front of the White House

http://abcnews.go.com/US/secret-service-aware-apparent-isis-flag-photo-front/story?id=24985241

The US could never be attacked on it's own soil.

 

Oh my God! This is terrifying! I don't know if I will ever be able to leave my bunker here in Idaho. Dark people everywhere and all of them trying to kill us. I want my Chuck Norris doll!

 

I guess some people do not handle situational awareness well if it implies change. Some people simply deny that what is happening, could be happening. It is called normalcy bias.

Good luck with that.

[video=youtube;d8IBnfkcrsM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8IBnfkcrsM[/video]

 

Tanks (Irish pronunciation), I guess. But the thread wasn't about global warming denial.

 

Was that the patented leftwing Race Card play or the patented leftwing Bigotry Card play or the Ethnic Card play? There are soooooooooooooooo many patented leftwing cards to try and keep track of!

In any event, drink! Thanks.

 

Hy Brazil sank because blood was spilled on the soil... despite all safety precautions.

Your inability to address any of this seriously, with any rational debate... just attacking those who find news of terrorists loose in our country making active threats troubling... only continues to make my point.

Good luck with that too.

 

Thanks! Best regards to you as well.

 

If one of them commits an act of terrorism where citizens die like the Boston Marathon, every Government employee directly involved should be fired and the appropriate criminal charges pressed if that's what you mean, yes.

 

On September 18, Ted Cruz tried to get the Senate to consider a measure providing that any American who joins the fight with terrorist groups such as ISIS would immediately be stripped of US citizenship, but a Democratic Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii objected saying that more time was necessary to weigh the constitutional issues it raises. Cruz said that time was of the essence because they could legally come back in to the US and murder innocent Americans. Needless to say, it was shelved and now we find out that this indeed has come to pass.
Cruz said, “The question is very simple: would any reasonable person want an American who is right now in Iraq, who is right now training with ISIS, who is right now taking up arms, who is right now participating in crucifying Christians, who is right now beheading children, who [has] right now participated in beheading two American journalists, who is right now standing arm-in-arm with virulent terrorists who have pledged to take jihad to America — would anyone of good conscience in either party want that person to be able to come back and land in LaGuardia airport with a U.S. passport and walk unmolested onto our streets?” he said.

“The obvious answer is no, and it saddens me that we could not see Republicans and Democrats come together,” he continued. “It saddens me that in an election year the Democratic senators up for election chose to block this common-sense legislation, rather than to work together to protect the American citizens. I hope in time we see less election-year politics and more service to the men and women who all of us are obliged to protect.”

 

Did they get medals for fighting Assad? That's the only reason ISIS ever got as powerful as they did. I guess that whole invading and taking over a third of Iraq might push off the ceremony for a week or two though...

 

The Wyrd of Gawd wrote: “There's a rumor that the ISIS guys work for the CIA so why would they attack us?”

Nat Turner wrote: “My haberdasher from Reynolds Wrap told me yesterday that ISIS is the Arabic acronym for ACORN and that the New Black Panthers have been training them in FEMA camps.”

Right, to believe that the objectives of the U.S. govt and the Pentagon have ever been anything but honorable & done in the interests of the American people is a hokie conspiracy. Do tell, if the empire were supporting a proxy enemy, what exactly would it look like? If the U.S. were funding, training & arming ISIS they’d of course be doing it overtly so even people like yourself could figure it out? Actually, they wouldn’t. They’d employ their client states & other proxies, which in turn, affords the empire plausible deniability. If their tactic is to simply create layers of duplicity, it’s fooled you, right? The empire didn’t train these wingnuts, Turkey did. The funding came from Saudi Arabia & Qatar. U.S. issue weapons were perhaps rather easily attained from Libya, Kuwait & Iraq, not America. That’s apart from the arms they received or took from the so-called moderate forces the U.S. did support. Every so-called “unintended consequence” is explained away by some form of incompetence or negligence. This same, identical script just keeps replaying over & over again.

It was asked, why? It was first reported like 5 years ago that the Bush wars had cost America several trillion dollars. So the exorbitant profits of the war machine is reason enough but by creating such an extreme adversary, it further justifies U.S. occupation. It keeps the indigenous people oppressed & assures unfettered access to vital resources. They don’t want to be confronted by a formidable adversary & that’s not what ISIS is. The U.S. military could crush them in just a matter of hours & they could do it w/o raising one hair on one child’s head. Then there’s precedence, that the U.S. has a very long history of supporting radical fundamentalists, rogue monarchies & brutal dictators. The U.S. runs around the globe promoting democracy? Talk about a storyline with no basis whatsoever, that’s it!

 

I want to argue with you.

This is theory... philosophy... it should be easy...

... and yet...

 

Ctrl wrote: “I want to argue with you. This is theory... philosophy... it should be easy ... and yet…”

Meaning I suppose, there isn’t really any evidence, just a theory, a conspiracy theory. No credible sources reporting that “significant quantities” of weapons issued by the U.S. to the Syrian rebels fell into the hands of ISIS. Further, that there was never any report stating that there were in fact, CIA operatives on the ground making sure of where the weapons ended up. No, or any such nonsense about these wingnut jihadis crossing into Iraq in a convoy of U.S. supplied Toyota pick-up trucks. Or that while the Obama Administration pretended to precede with caution, they were in fact collaborating with their client states (or significantly weaker partners if you wish) & other proxies like the Muslim Brotherhood. All of whom did what exactly to ensure they weren’t supporting terrorists?

None of this is true, or none of it is actually the fault of the U.S. Is that your position? Saudi financiers or the Brotherhood opting to empower ISIS, oh god, who could’ve foreseen that? Have you ever questioned who our “friends” are in these seedy endeavors? How come it’s never Holland or fuq’n Denmark? Oh, because they won’t do the dirty work, right? True, but not dirty meaning hard, dirty meaning bloody. Don’t you get it, there’s never really a genuine objective. It’s always slaughter & oppression, it’s what it always is, destabilization. That can never be the stated or perceived policy, never! But that’s the result every time.