US Security Officials Warn Of South Asia Linked Terror Threats

WASHINGTON, DC – Senior US national security officials have told lawmakers that terrorist groups with roots in South Asia, particularly Pakistan and Afghanistan-linked networks, continue to pose a direct and evolving threat to the United States.

National Counterterrorism Centre Director Joseph Kent told members of the House Homeland Security Committee during a Congressional hearing on worldwide dangers that ISIS and al-Qaida remain active across South and Central Asia, with Afghanistan again emerging as a permissive environment for extremist activity.

Kent said US intelligence assessments show that terror groups with historical links to Pakistan and Afghanistan are increasingly relying on online propaganda, encrypted communications, and ideological messaging to inspire violence abroad, including inside the United States.

“The new terrorist tactic that we’re seeing more and more is moving away from very deliberate cellular attacks… into an inspirational methodology,” Kent said, describing how individuals radicalized by overseas groups act independently without direct operational command.

FBI National Security Branch Operations Director Michael Glasheen reinforced that warning, saying international terrorist organizations remain among the most immediate threats to the US, even when attacks are carried out by lone actors.

Kent also linked South Asia origin threats to post-Afghanistan evacuation vetting failures, saying US agencies had identified individuals admitted under emergency programs who later showed ties to terrorist organizations.

The South Asia warnings came early in a hearing that later spiraled into sharp political confrontations, including a tense exchange between Congressman Shri Thanedar and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

Thanedar accused Noem of misleading Congress on immigration enforcement and court compliance. “Secretary Noem, you lied to me under oath that day,” he said, pressing her on claims that US citizens had not been detained by immigration agents.

Noem denied the charge, saying, “The Department of Homeland Security and this administration complies with all federal court orders. We always have and we always will.”

The exchange grew increasingly heated, with Thanedar saying, “I am sick of your lies. The American people demand truth,” and asking whether Noem would resign if not fired. Noem responded sharply: “I will consider your asking me to resign as an endorsement of my work.” (IANS)