Interagency cooperation helpful in countering ISIL

This week, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Deputy Assistant Secretary for Counterterrorism Policy Tom Warrick testified before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Joint Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade, and Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa. Warrick was speaking on possible threats from terrorists associated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and DHS efforts to prevent terrorist attacks in the United States.

In his remarks, Warrick recognized the threat posed by ISIL in Syria and Iraq, as well as threats posed by al-Qa’ida, al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), and other terror groups. While DHS is unaware of any specific threats to the U.S., Warrick did outline preventative measures being taken by DHS and their interagency partners.

Warrick laid out seven efforts by DHS and their partners, including enhanced aviation security and the preclearance of U.S.-bound civil aviation. He also discussed the identification of homegrown violent extremists with the help of federal, state, and local law enforcement, and the tracking of foreign fighters by DHS, the FBI, the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), and the intelligence community. Information sharing among the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis and interagency and private sector partners was also included among the efforts to prevent terrorist activities.

For more information about this topic, please follow the link below.
Written testimony of DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary for Counterterrorism Policy Tom Warrick for a House Committee on Foreign Affairs Joint Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade, and Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa hearing titled “ISIS and the Threat from Foreign Fighters”, Department of Homeland Security