With the number of Islamic extremists in war-torn Syria growing, top U.S. Special Operations officials warned that the spillover effect would eventually threaten the American homeland.
Navy Adm. William McRaven, commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command, and Asst. Defense Sec. for Special Operations Michael Lumpkin testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday, and both agreed that if left unchecked the growing number of extremists and the threat they pose to the region and the world was "only going to get worse".
"The threat is already bleeding over beyond the borders of Syria as we’re having spillage into the surrounding nations," Lumpkin said. "I can’t give you a date when the homeland is in direct threat but it’s in the not too distant future."
Adm. McCraven agreed, saying, "I do think one of the greater threats is the pressure they are putting on the Levant and the pressure on Lebanon and Jordan."
"That will have a cascading effect across that area which will have a cascading effect across North Africa, Southern Europe, and eventually the United States."