Washington, Dec 17 : Senior US national security officials have warned lawmakers that terrorist groups with roots in South Asia particularly networks linked to Pakistan and Afghanistan continue to pose a direct and evolving threat to the United States.
Testifying before the House Homeland Security Committee, National Counterterrorism Centre Director Joseph Kent said that ISIS and al-Qaida remain active across South and Central Asia, with Afghanistan once again emerging as a permissive environment for extremist activity.
“ISIS and al-Qaida have found sanctuary in places like Afghanistan,” Kent said, citing the transitional nature of governments in the region and warning that the area continues to generate threats that extend far beyond its borders.
Kent said US intelligence assessments indicate 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 we’re seeing more and more is moving away from highly structured, cell-based attacks to an inspirational methodology,” Kent said, explaining that individuals radicalised by overseas groups often act independently without direct operational command.
FBI National Security Branch Operations Director Michael Glasheen echoed the assessment, telling lawmakers that international terrorist organisations tied to ISIS and al-Qaida remain among the most immediate threats to the US homeland, even when attacks are carried out by lone actors.
“Some international terrorists are people located and radicalised primarily inside the United States,” Glasheen said, adding that they are inspired to commit violence by foreign terrorist organisations such as ISIS and al-Qaida.
Kent also linked South Asia–origin threats to vetting gaps following the US evacuation from Afghanistan, saying intelligence agencies had identified individuals admitted under emergency programs who later showed ties to terrorist organisations.
“These are individuals who, under normal circumstances, would never have been allowed to enter the country because of their links to jihadi groups like ISIS and al-Qaida,” he said.
The security warnings came early in a hearing that later turned politically contentious, featuring a sharp exchange between Indian American Congressman Shri Thanedar and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over immigration enforcement and compliance with court orders.
Thanedar accused Noem of misleading Congress on whether US citizens had been detained by immigration authorities, a charge she firmly denied. Noem said the Department of Homeland Security complies with all federal court orders and has “never once detained or deported an American citizen,” adding that individuals may be briefly held until their identity is verified.
The House Homeland Security Committee was created after the September 11, 2001 attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people. US officials continue to warn that instability in South Asia particularly involving Afghanistan and Pakistan linked terror networks—remains closely tied to global and US homeland security risks, even as the nature of terrorism continues to evolve.