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 "They are an imminent threat to every interest we have, whether
it's in Iraq or anywhere else," Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told
reporters at the Pentagon.
Hagel's assessment of Islamic State, which gained strength during
Syria's civil war and swept into northern Iraq earlier this summer,
sounded a note of alarm several days after the group posted a video
on social media showing one of its fighters beheading an American
hostage kidnapped in Syria.
Asked if the hardline Sunni Muslim organization posed a threat to
the United States comparable to that of the attacks of Sept. 11,
2001, Hagel said it was "as sophisticated and well-funded as any
group we have seen."
"They are beyond just a terrorist group. They marry ideology, a
sophistication of ... military prowess. They are tremendously
well-funded. This is beyond anything we've seen."
Hagel spoke as the United States continued attacking Islamic State
targets in Iraq. In the past two weeks, U.S. drones and fighter jets
have conducted 89 airstrikes against militant targets in northern
Iraq.
So far, President Barack Obama has sought to limit his renewed
military campaign in Iraq to protecting American diplomats and
civilians under direct threat. Obama ended the war in Iraq that
killed thousands of American soldiers and consumed U.S. foreign
policy for nearly a decade,
Even after the gruesome killing of U.S. journalist James Foley,
Obama is seen as unlikely to deepen his near-term military
involvement in either Iraq or Syria as he seeks to avoid becoming
embroiled in another messy Middle Eastern conflict.
But U.S. officials say they have not ruled out escalating military
action against Islamic State, which has increased its overt threats
against the United States since the air campaign in Iraq began.
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'APOCALYPTIC, END-OF-DAYS VISION'
"We haven't made a decision to take additional actions at this time,
but we truly don't rule out additional action against ISIL if it
becomes warranted," Ben Rhodes, a senior Obama aide, told National
Public Radio earlier on Thursday, using another name for Islamic
State.
General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff,
said officials were worried about the possibility that European or
U.S. nationals, radicalized after fighting in Iraq or Syria, would
return to their home countries.
Dempsey suggested Islamic State would remain a danger until it could
no longer count on safe havens in areas of Syria under militant
control.
"This is an organization that has an apocalyptic, end-of- days
strategic vision and which will eventually have to be defeated,"
Dempsey said.
"To your question, can they be defeated without addressing that part
of their organization which resides in Syria? The answer is no. That
will have to be addressed on both sides of what is essentially at
this point a non-existent border."
(Additional reporting by Steve Holland and David Alexander; Editing
by Peter Cooney)
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