'If unchecked,' Hagel tells committee, ISIS will 'directly threaten' U.S., allies [View all]

[Omaha Steve]

Source: OMAHA WORLD HERALD

By Joseph Morton

WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Tuesday laid out the Obama administration’s plans for dealing with Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.

Hagel testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee that the threat is real to all nations in that region and to Western countries.

He pointed specifically to the thousands of foreign fighters – including Europeans and more than 100 Americans – that have traveled to Syria. Although the intelligence community has not detected specific plots, leaders of the group known as ISIL or ISIS have threatened America, he said.

“If left unchecked, ISIL will directly threaten our homeland and our allies,” Hagel testified.

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THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, left, and Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.



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