Daijiworld Media Network - Washington

Washington, Dec 13: The United States continues to face a shifting but persistent threat from extremist groups such as ISIS and al-Qaida, despite years of counterterrorism efforts, President Donald Trump’s nominee for the State Department’s top counterterrorism post told lawmakers.

Gregory D. LoGerfo, nominated as coordinator for Counterterrorism and Ambassador-at-Large, said during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that both groups remain active, adaptable, and capable of inspiring attacks across the world.

“ISIS and al-Qaida continue to recruit, radicalise and incite followers globally to carry out attacks in their own countries,” LoGerfo said, warning that the ideological reach of these organisations has not diminished.

Referring to recent incidents, he said the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans highlighted ISIS’s continued ability to influence and motivate violence far beyond traditional conflict zones. According to him, the incident underscored the group’s enduring ambitions and operational reach.

LoGerfo said the Trump administration is prioritising the prevention of terrorist attacks on US soil through a comprehensive approach that includes dismantling terror networks, tightening border security, and holding state sponsors of terrorism accountable. “Preventing a major attack on the homeland remains a core objective,” he said.

He noted that the current threat environment differs significantly from the period immediately following the September 11 attacks, with decentralised networks, lone actors, and online radicalisation now playing a much larger role.

LoGerfo also cautioned that Iran and its allied groups continue to fuel instability in the Middle East. While acknowledging that Tehran has been weakened, he said its proxies — including Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis — remain active and disruptive forces in the region.

He added that US intelligence agencies are closely monitoring potential threats to American officials, journalists, Jewish communities and Iranian dissidents worldwide.

Turning to Africa, LoGerfo said ISIS and al-Qaida affiliates are gaining ground in the Sahel region, making deeper cooperation with regional governments and European partners essential. “When risk is shared, the burden must also be shared,” he said.

On Afghanistan, he noted that despite earlier successes against extremist groups, ISIS-Khorasan continues to pose a serious challenge requiring sustained vigilance.

For India and other partners, LoGerfo’s assessment aligns with long-held concerns that terrorist organisations remain active despite losing territorial control, reinforcing the need for continued global coordination and intelligence-sharing in counterterrorism efforts.