Says Foley’s beheading a terrorist attack, IS could strike in 9/11 style
File photo shows Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, saluting President Barack Obama during a Memorial Day ceremony. (Photo: AP )
Washington: The White House said on Saturday that it is ready to “take action” against any threat to America as it indicated serious consideration of US military strikes against Islamic State militants in Syria.
The Pentagon has warned of the dangers of IS and said operations against it in Syria may be needed, after weeks of air strikes have slowed the advance of the Sunni militant group in Iraq and as the West reeled from the grisly killing of US journalist James Foley.
The White House also said that air strikes in Syria may be necessary, as deputy national security advisor Ben Rhodes agreed that “any strategy to deal with the ISIL organisation (sic) has to deal with both sides of the border, Iraq and Syria.”
Washington has also declared the beheading of Foley a “terrorist attack”, upping the stakes in its confrontation with the Islamic State. The US ramped up its rhetoric over the grisly killing of Foley. Mr Rhodes said that the beheading of Foley “represents a terrorist attack against our country”.
Asked if ISIS could carry out a 9/11-style attack, Mr Rhodes said that the group doesn’t appear to be planning one. “To date, we have not seen them focus on that type of planning, but that doesn’t mean we’re not going to be very mindful that they could quickly aim to pivot to attacks against Western targets outside of the region,” he said. “If they show plotting against the US, we’ll be prepared to deal with that as necessary.”
A Republican leader on the Armed Services Committee in the Senate has said that IS militants are trying to develop the capability of blowing up an entire American city.
“They’re crazy out there. And they are rapidly developing a method of blowing up a major US city. You just can’t believe that’s happening.”
( Source : agencies )
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