Military Analyst McCausland Doesn't Think ISIS Poses A Major Threat To U.S., Yet
BEIRUT (NewsRadio 1020 KDKA/AP) - The spokesman of the Islamic State militant group says his fighters are ready to face a U.S.-led military coalition and is calling on Muslims worldwide to kill civilians of nations that join the fight.
Islamic State group spokesman Abu Mohammed al-Adnani says President Barack Obama's coalition will not be able to defeat the jihadis.
Obama is currently working to form a global coalition to confront the Islamic State group, which controls large parts of Syria and Iraq.
Al-Adnani called on people in an audio released late Sunday to prevent their sons from joining rebels that the U.S. plans to train to fight the Islamic State group. He says jihadis will make them "dig their graves with their own hands and have their heads cut off."
Retired Army Colonel and CBS News Military Analyst Jeff McCausland Joined the "KDKA Morning News" with Larry Richert and John Shumway to discuss what action the United States is taking to support those fighting the Islamic State.
"$500 million" will be given to Middle Eastern groups in Syria and other places in hopes that they will confront ISIS.
"The concern has always been how do you vet these particular groups? Because there are hundreds of different groups that are opposing President Assad. How do you insure that the weapons you provide them are not provided to more extreme groups? And finally whether or not those particular groups are going to confront ISIS as well in Syria or are they solely going to focus their efforts in defeating President Assad?" McCausland said.
There are reports that about 100 young Americans have gone off to fight for ISIS.
"Personally, I believe ISIS as a group however does not at the moment present and enormous direct threat to the United States," he said. "The possibility of some of these folks from the United States, or from Australia, or Europe [who] have gone off to fight for ISIS [and] have been further radicalized [or] got training on use of explosives [could come] back to the United States, or their home countries and conduct random attacks [of violence], like we saw in Boston during the marathon, is certainly not out of the realm of possibility."
Jeff McCausland on NewsRadio 1020 KDKA
Listen to the KDKA Morning News with Larry Richert and John Shumway weekdays from 5 to 9 a.m. on NewsRadio 1020 KDKA.
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(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
