Threats to U.S. troops and the homeland have persisted since the Sept. 11 attacks, according to Newsmax foreign policy adviser Walid Phares, linking the latest security concerns after this week's deadly ambush in Syria to weakened protections under the Obama and Biden administrations and ongoing extremist infiltration.
"It has always been since 9/11,” Phares said on Newsmax's "Sunday Report," when asked whether U.S. troops are now facing a greater threat.
He said prior administrations reduced U.S. protections, adding that “the Obama and Biden administrations let go of our protection because they cut a lot of deals with jihadists like the Muslim Brotherhood.”
Phares said the current administration has taken a different approach, saying it “is going to designate them,” referring to the Muslim Brotherhood.
President Donald Trump, however, has taken a broader posture against ISIS and border security, said Phares.
The U.S. is being challenged “by multiple ways."
“President Trump, who defeated ISIS in his first term, is now being targeted by multiple ways by attacking some of our troops when available in Syria,” Phares said, calling the situation “very risky.”
Phares also argued that border security is central to the threat picture, crediting Trump with reversing what he called “the collapse of the border.” He said that while large numbers of migrants entered the country, there was also the risk of extremists moving in as well.
“And through these borders, there were millions of people coming in,” Phares said. “But more important, there were hundreds, maybe thousands of jihadists moving in.”
Phares pointed to what he described as a pattern of incidents nationwide, saying it reflects an ongoing effort by extremists to embed themselves inside institutions and communities.
“That's why we see incidents right and left across the country,” he said. “It's because he is fighting that battle. But the jihadists are penetrating and infiltrating everywhere. That's what they do.”
Phares also discussed the overseas threat environment, saying the weekend attack in Syria, which killed two U.S. soldiers and an interpreter, appeared to involve an insider with ties to local security in Syria.
This, he added, would indicate infiltration inside a security agency rather than a straightforward outside ambush.
He said that possibility underscores the risks U.S. forces face when operating in unstable regions.
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