Al Qaeda continues to be a growing threat to U.S. interests despite President Obama’s "wishful narrative" that the group is "on a path to defeat," Rep. Buck McKeon (R., Calif.) said at a hearing Tuesday.
The House Armed Services Committee held a hearing on the current state of al Qaeda and the efficacy of the Obama administration’s counterterrorism policy.
"I applauded the President’s decision to take out Osama bin Laden," McKeon said in his opening statement. "However, this tactical success did not end what former CENTCOM commander General John Abizaid called, ‘The Long War’ against al Qaeda."
While the president said that the Islamist terrorist organization was "on a path to defeat," al Qaeda currently controls over 400 miles of territory in the Middle East, the most in its history. Furthermore, President Obama’s decision to end the war on terrorism fails to address al Qaeda's continuing war against the United States, McKeon said.
"What the president seems to ignore is that the enemy gets a vote," McKeon said. "While the president seeks an end to the war on terrorism and is not providing the leadership necessary for our efforts in Afghanistan, al Qaeda seeks a continued war against the United States and the West. This is the reality, and this is what our policy and strategy must address."
"To do otherwise puts the United States and our interests across the globe at dire risk. We look forward to your thoughts on how this committee can best shape our nation’s policies, strategies, and capabilities to address 'the long war' that al Qaeda continues to fight."