WASHINGTON – As the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria claimed credit for an attack in Texas, U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Cassville, was in the midst of an overseas trip looking into how to thwart foreign fighters from entering and exiting the U.S.
There is no concrete evidence for ISIS claims about Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi, who were killed by a security guard when they assaulted a Mohammed cartoon drawing contest outside Dallas. In a phone interview from Turkey, Loudermilk said they seem to have been "lone wolf" attackers, but they could have trained overseas.
Loudermilk serves on a task force in the Homeland Security Committee dedicated to foreign fighters, as do most of the eight Republicans and Democrats on his trip. Said the freshman:
"So that's what we're looking at, is how do we track those who are going to fight with ISIS and then know when they're coming back to the U.S.?"
Loudermilk said the way to do that is sharing information on such suspects with foreign governments. Part of the 11-day trip, Loudermilk’s first overseas “CODEL” as a member of Congress, is meeting with leaders in European Union nations and Turkey to develop those relationships.
Loudermilk said once foreign fighters get into Europe they can move freely, then cross Turkey’s “porous” borders into Iraq or Syria. He said Turkish officials compared it to the U.S.-Mexico border in its difficulty to control.
The group also met with Iraq’s prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, about his battle with ISIS. Loudermilk relayed a pessimistic view from Maliki.
"They think the airstrikes are effective but they were very distraught [with] us pulling out [ground troops] when we did. That is a bone of contention over there with the citizens, that we pulled out."
A U.S. Central Command spokesman struck a different tone, telling Pentagon reporters Friday that ISIS is losing territory to Iraqi and Kurdish troops. Said Air Force Col. Patrick Ryder:
"This development, along with continued coalition air strikes, has put further pressure on ISIL and it is inhibiting their ability to flow additional resources or freely operate in this region."
Loudermilk and the group also met with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who continued his criticism of the White House. Loudermilk said the recently re-elected Netanyahu was “very animated” in an hour-and-a-half conversation that the U.S. should not enter a nuclear deal with Iran. Netanyahu told the lawmakers that any sanctions relief on Iran would allow its economy to improve so it could fund more worldwide terrorism. Said Loudermilk:
"He expressed some of the same concerns as we had … The way he explained it is we're trying to tame a tiger, trying to domesticate a tiger. And that just can't be done. It will turn around and devour us."
Loudermilk is the second Georgia Republican to get face time with Netanyahu in Jerusalem this year: Sen. David Perdue did the same in February.
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