During MSNBC’s coverage of the terrorist attack in New Orleans on Wednesday, Christopher O’Leary, senior vice president of global operations at The Soufan Group, who was director of hostage rescue and recovery during the Biden administration and has held counterterrorism positions in multiple administrations was, saying that “Al-Qaeda and ISIS are now stronger than ever,” and that the U.S. government “has turned a lot of its attention, resources, and authorities away from it. If we bury our heads in the sand If we keep trying and hope that the swamp will drain, these are the things that will start happening again.
Host Christina Ruffini asked, “[W]We were talking earlier about the status of ISIS, al-Qaeda as a global jihadist movement, and when we talk about allies, is it someone these individuals are talking to directly Or are they just getting inspired. Can you talk to us – I think this used to be something we heard a lot about – have those organizations become weaker or have they become stronger, and how much of an impact can they have on someone who Who might be motivated to take such action? ,
O’Leary responded, “I think most people would be surprised to learn that al-Qaeda and ISIS, through their affiliates around the world, are now stronger than ever. So, to give people a point of reference For example, before September 11, al-Qaeda had about 500 members, most of whom had defected to al-Qaeda and ISIS – and their affiliates globally. Spanning over a dozen countries and having approximately 40,000 members, it would be naive to think that terrorism is behind us, and, unfortunately, the US government has diverted most of its attention, resources and authorities from it. If we keep trying to bury our heads in the sand and hope the swamp goes away, these are the things that will start happening again. So, this was a generational battle, we have to brace ourselves for it. to commit Will happen, number one. And number two, there’s a great Afghan saying that you have time, people who are committed to this extremist ideology are not a flash in the pan when we If we are careful, they intend to come after us.
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