[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 9 (Tuesday, January 16, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E44-E45]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              POST-CALIPHATE THREAT ASSESSMENT ACT OF 2017

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                  HON. HENRY C. ``HANK'' JOHNSON, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 9, 2018

  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4564--
Post-Caliphate Threat Assessment Act of 2017.
  This legislation would direct the Department of Homeland Security, in 
coordination with the Department of State, and the Office of the 
Director of National Intelligence to perform a threat assessment of 
current foreign terrorist fighter activities. This multi-agency 
assessment will include a breakdown of any country or region with a 
substantial increase in foreign terrorist fighter activity, travel and 
trends of terrorist movement, and an analysis of travel trends in and 
out of Iraq and Syria.
  To successfully continue the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq 
and Syria (ISIS), our government agencies must understand the current 
terrorist threat. This conflict is complex and ISIS has lost a 
significant amount of territory in their self-declared caliphate, while 
anti-ISIS fighters have successfully regained control of the cities of 
Mosul and Raqqa. After these recent victories for the anti-ISIS forces 
in Northern Iraq and Syria, the enemy has dispersed across the region. 
The anti-ISIS victories have been essential to reestablishing order in 
the conflict zone, but unfortunately present new challenges in 
defeating the terrorist group. Shifts in power have caused ISIS to 
disperse into countries that border Syria and Iraq, such as Libya, 
Afghanistan, and Turkey, in order to evade total defeat. Recent reports 
on the whereabouts of fleeing ISIS fighters have varied, prompting the 
need for a post-caliphate threat assessment.

[[Page E45]]

  As a former member of the House Armed Forces Committee, I understand 
well the complexity of this conflict. By creating this assessment for 
our intelligence and defense agencies we will provide them with the 
proper tools to fight ISIS and current terrorist threats. We must 
continue to update our intelligence as the war against ISIS goes on and 
forces hide, recuperate, and go underground. Some terrorist fighters 
have been believed to migrate to neighboring countries, others have 
relocated to their homes, and members of this group might even be 
seeking to return to Europe or the U.S. Keeping track of this terrible 
enemy will be of the utmost importance and H.R. 4564 will help us 
assess this threat and will bolster our arsenal to combat terror 
abroad.

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