The terrorist organization ISIL is a threat to the United States, ret. Gen. Jack Keane told Fox News Monday, and some military intervention "sooner rather than later" would be necessary for national security.
Keane said flatly that ISIL, which has marched through Iraq in recent weeks threatening to topple the entire country, is not a sectarian organization but rather a geo-political one driven by an ideology to take back and dominate Muslim lands.
"Is ISIL a threat to our interest in the Middle East, in the region itself? Is ISIL eventually a threat to the United States and its security?" he asked. "I would say overwhelmingly yes."
The U.S. would then have to assess whether the resulting civil war in Iraq would be worth being involved with in any capacity, Keane argued.
"I say we do, and that involves some military intervention, sooner rather than later," he said. "As this menace grows, it'll be more and more of a threat that we will eventually deal with regardless of who is in the White House."
Keane said to stop ISIL, the U.S. would have to take out targets like its staging bases, vehicles and other means allowing them to march through the country.