logical things. they could not speak a word of english. ony go to dallas, texas wednesday. host: i will leave it the house of representatives is about to come in for their morning session. live coverage on c-span. the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the chair lays before the house a communication from the speaker. the clerk: the speaker's room, washington, d.c., december 2, 2014. i hereby appoint the honorable

chris stewart to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. signed, john a. boehner, speaker of the house of representatives. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the order of the house of january 7, 2014, the chair will now recognize members from lists submitted by the majority and minority leaders for morning hour ebate. the chair will alternate recognition between the parties with each party limited to one hour and each member other than the majority and minority leaders and the minority whip , but in o five minutes no event shall debate continue beyond 11:50 a.m. the chair recognizes the gentleman from oregon, mr. blumenauer, for five minutes. thank you, mr. speaker. one of our responsibilities in this congress is to protect the men and women from iraq and afghanistan who put their lives on the line to assist the united states.

thousands of afghans and iraqis helped us as guides, as interpreters, must not be left to the tender mercies of al qaeda, the taliban and others with long memories who seek to punish those who helped us. yesterday's "wall street journal" had a front page story about an iraqi family that is caught in the bureaucratic pipeline, the family seeking safety after years of service and now facing enhanced threats against them. there was a recent hbo feature by comedian john oliver on his program "last week tonight" that in graphic, somewhat profeign terms captured the essence of the bureaucratic nightmare faced by thousands in iraq and afghanistan. they and their family members are at risk of being assaulted,

kidnapped, tortured, raped or killed. simply because they were there helping americans. we are seeing some progress. i deeply appreciate the tireless efforts of chairman buc mckeon, ranking member adam smith and their staff, the work on the national defense authorization act which will help us uphold commitments to our afghan allies. however, all of us in congress have a responsibility, and there is an opportunity for all of us to step up and help this desperate situation. over the last seven years, it's been a battle to have america honor its obligations by effectively implementing this special immigrant visa program authorized by congress to help those who helped us to escape. we are seeing the results of many on this floor who encouraged the state department to more aggressively implement the special immigration visa

program. the afghan program went from an embarrassing 32 visas for all of 2012 to an average of 400 each month this year. this is due to enhanced oversight and pressure and cooperation from congress. the program is now functioning at a level that almost allows us to keep our promises to our allies. one thing we all can do is to join me and my colleague, adam kinzinger, who has been a tireless champion for justice for these afghan and iraqi nationals in directing a letter to our friends on the appropriations committee asking that they, like last year, authorize urgently needed afghan s.i.v.'s in the end of

the year appropriations package that we'll soon here have on the floor. we've stepped up before, but we need to avoid this special immigrant visa roulette so that these people are not in limbo or worse resign to the hell inflicted on them by the taliban in afghanistan. even with the leadership of the armed services committee, we will still fall short of upholding our commitments for the need as great as 9,000 visas for afghanistan alone. that's why our appropriators must help shoulder the responsibility and they need to hear from us, every member of congress. it's our moral obligation to take action to protect not just those people but the security interests of the united states. it's not just their innocent lives that are at stake. think about the trust that's going to be necessary when we need help in the future from foreign nationals for our soldiers, our diplomats and our

aide workers. let's sign the letter. let's all detail someone on every staff to pay attention to this issue. add our voices that's being done by the armed services committee help the appropriations committee in this next critical step. it should not be left to a comedian like john olven -- god less him -- john oliver -- god bless him -- to speak out alone. we must not fail those at risk only because they believed our promises they they helped americans in some of the most difficult circumstances we've ever asked our soldiers, diplomats and aid workers to face. this is a failure we can avoid and we can end this congress on a positive note that can make everybody feel better as we approach the holiday season. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman's time has expired. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess until noon >> the house is in recess after morning speeches. members will be back at noon eastern for legislative work. there are nine bills today. can see axonek, we legislation extending tax breaks. more on c-span. we are learning that president obama may announce the former second in command at the pentagon, ashton carter, to lead the department. he is widely expected to be president obama's top choice to be defense secretary. if chosen, carter would replace

chuck hagel. carter was that the deputy defense secretary. in his previous work he oversaw procurement and infrastructure programs and is the co-author of 11 books and numerous articles on physics. he will face congressional approval before getting the job. we are going to a health foreign affairs subcommittee. this began a few moments ago. is isis, there are thousands of jihadists threatening global security. the influx of foreign fighters far surpasses anything we have seen in afghanistan. the scale of the mass migration is unprecedented, and results in deadly attacks.

more foreign fighters have flocked to fight for radical forces in iraq been in the last 12 years. if we have a map, we can put it on the screens. areas that these fighters have come from. they have come from all over the world. estimates, lifting thousand jihadists from 80 countries have traveled to syria to fight. are from western countries, including the united states and the ae. 700 from france, for hundred america.any, 100 from these with passports can travel freely when they have finished their tour of duty.

none of this is hypothetical. a returning french jihadist killed people during a shooting in brussels. in october a jihadist who wanted to go to syria killed a canadian soldier. several american jihadists were arrested trying to travel to join isis. in september, it was said some americans who fought in syria have returned to the united states. one example is the example of eric --. team.ght on an rpg 2013 he was 21 taken into custody by the fbi. lesser chargesof and was released in set number of that year. he died of a drug overdose in

2014. he is not the only american we need to be concerned about. are a threatdists to american security since they travel freely under the visa waiver program. i doubt that intelligence services know who everyone of these individuals may be. the dod and fbi were invited to be here today to testify at this hearing, and they would not come. some say these individuals will slip through the cracks. even more concerning is that this administration does not have a whole government approach to battle recruitment programs for isis. isis uses its global network to recruit, fundraiser, and smuggle fighters into and out of syria. this is a more sophisticated network then we know out of for al qaeda networks.

the best way to reduce the threat these fighters pose is to identify how they recruitment network works and to develop a strategy to destroy it. need to understand what countries these fighters come from, and how they are getting into syria when they leave their home country. one of the main countries used --get into syria, and what what are the main countries used to get into syria, and what pressure are we applying? complicating issues further, there are golf countries who are unwilling or unable to crack down on jihadists. of foreigns a hub fighters. we need more from the cooperation of these middle eastern countries, but we cannot do that without a comprehensive plan. crucial to the

isis network of recruiting. they have a media center dedicated to producing high andity propaganda videos tweets and the likes. travel logistics are finalized after contacting a recruiter. turkey is the most commonly used route. so-called religious and physical training begins followed by testing the foreign fighters with small tasks. then troops are given orders to go fight. they are paid and given weapons. organizedwell oiled machine. isis will get better, more efficient, and deadlier. they will turn more attention to attacks on the west in years to come. i look forward to hearing from witnesses this morning. i will turn to the ranking

member, mr. sherman from california, for his opening comments. >> isis is evil and name found they found ways to convince americans that they are more evil than others in the middle east. i think they are more dangerous isis.in the west van destroying isis is not impossible without casualties. it begs the question, what will flourish in the territory. the cyber territory, the ideological territory, and the physical territory isis occupies . they have the has law, the assad, the shiite militias of barack -- the shiite militias of iraq. and it ran itself.

their enemies include al qaeda and its fully authorized branch. there is talk that isis may be able to carry on an operation outside the middle east. compare that to its enemies. 1983, we saw americans die by the hundreds in beirut. in the 1990's we saw attacks in andh america from hezbollah iran. there was the attempt by a ran to assassinate the saudi ambassador in washington dc. iraniansould doubt the , the syrian government, and the capacity to get agents into western countries in the united states. aere is an iranian embassy

couple of hundred miles north of where we are at the united nations. qaeda, their capacity to carry out attacks on the west was demonstrated on september 11. -- which we hit on september 22 was in syria as part of an alliance. just as important as destroying is asking what would occupy its cyber, ideological, and physical space. we have to urge turkey to seal its borders and prevent foreign fighters from joining isis. the turks are more focused on their enemies, assad and many kurdish fighters. not allowed us to use interlink to attack isis unless we alter our policy and decide to use our air force against assad. whether we should do that

depends on who would take over syria if assad was destroyed. ourt now all nusra and isis first and second in line, perhaps not in that order. the president does not have legal authority to wage war for more than 60 days under the war powers act on the assad regime. he claims with some support there is the theory there -- he claims that they could go after isis under the assumption it is a splinter group of al qaeda. we must urge countries to seal borders and determine their citizens from joining isis and syriaextremist forces in and iraq. we must dispel the notion people can go, fight, return, and be

monitored. if a foreign fighter returns, they must be imprisoned. resolution, it was required for countries to pass laws that would put such terrorist operatives in jail. ,hat would make it clear especially from european countries, that european fighters will be imprisoned. with the united nations resolution and voltage or foreign fighters. finally, i will be using these hearings to urge the state department to hire people for their expertise in islamic theology and the law. be -- note -- would because it would have credibility, but because it would persuade islamic legal

by going to them and saying these guys are terrible. you think of the legal authority and arguments that would allow you to come out against them. no one would go to an american jurist and say my adversary is evil, you come up with the .octrine instead you hire a lawyer to know the law. you plead the justice of the case, and the legality of your argument. when we get the recognized legal scholars in the islamic world on our side it will be helpful. we have not hired a single lawyer and we are going to courts around the world. i recognize the chairman of the subcommittee on the middle east and north africa. for her opening statements. >> thank you. this the beginning of

congress, our two subcommittees have held joint committees to explore the conflict in syria, in iraq, and the rise of isil. we have yet to hear a comprehensive strategy to address these. to administration has failed address the syria crisis head-on and has let the country become a safe haven or more terrorists who seek to harm the united states and our interests. we have continued to sound the alarm and have been pleading with the administration to be avoid spillover effect that could destabilize the region. unfortunately, our calls have gone unanswered. even former officials from this administration have been public about their criticism over the presidents lack of a serious strategy. the longer the administration

delays, the greater the danger for u.s. national security interests and our allies. we must have a comprehensive strategy to remove assad from power, and to address the iran issue, and link iran, iraq, and isil together. this does not give me confidence there is a plan in place to address the threat of foreign fighters. it is important we refrain from hyperbolic rhetoric and talking abouthen isil and foreign fighters, it is equally important not to .ownplay the threat the cia estimated in september isil has between 20,000 and 31,500 total fighters in syria and iraq. at least 15,000 of whom who are foreign fighters from 80 countries.

u.s. intelligence officials have acknowledged the difficulty in providing an exact number, saying the changing dynamics of the battlefield, new recruits, and other factors make it difficult to assess an exact number of individuals. we know the majority of foreign fighters are from the middle east. ,here is a significant number over 2700, that come from western countries. including over 100 americans. many of these individuals do not need a visa to enter the united states. the reach of this terrorist organization has reached beyond our initial assessment with the tragic killing of four people at the jewish museum in brussels. where anbourne 18-year-old stabbed officers at a police station in the hand,

ad after offering to help the officials with their investigation. the possibility of homegrown attacks like these inspired by isil should be a concern to law enforcement officials everywhere . the european union, which has been soft on terrorism in the past, must tighten their terrorism laws and increase their cooperation with us. process ofember the foreign fighters joining isil and their radicalization of westerners is still in the beginning stages. it took years before we saw the results of individuals joining a psalm al qaeda -- joining osama bin laden and al qaeda, and the full threat of isil has yet to be seen. problem, but new

we should not be complacent. the number of foreign fighters joining isil is cause for alarm and downplaying the threat is misguided and dangerous. we must look at all options available to prevent fighters from traveling to syria and iraq, and returning to the united states. whether that is tightening scrabble -- tightening travel restrictions, increasing penalties for providing support to terrorist groups, enhancing allies,ions with our especially visa waiver countries which may be vulnerable to these dangerous individuals. we have to have a debate about the necessary measures to take on foreign fighters, to monitor them, to arrest and detain them, before and after an attack while assuring our civil liberties are protected.

fear mongers are a disservice. to hearing from our witnesses as to what this administration is doing to tackle this problem in the short and long-term, and to encourage a debate we need to be having. rankingned to the member of the subcommittee on the middle east and west africa. for his opening statement. >> thank you chairman. the issue of foreign fighters joining isis and other extremist groups in syria and iraq poses a grave threat. it deserves this congress's full attention. the rise of isis has been unprecedented. in two years isis broke from al qaeda and transformed into a terrorist group wreaking havoc across iraq and syria.

has developed a propaganda machine that is spreading its message to every corner of the earth. videos, templates, and have generated attention through social media. they have recruited areas locally, and with twitter and youtube they have a direct line across the world. in a grotesque display for the life theyof human have displayed the beheadings of americans as a propaganda tool. by -- those who are agitated by the policies of the west or looking for steady income have signed up to join the fight in iraq and syria. three years ago, we were first alarmed by reports of fighters coming in to syria from saudi arabia and north africa. we should be concerned about the alarming number of fighters from north africa.

the chaos following the revolutions in tunisia and -- have given two very different results. libya has been overrun by militias and on able -- and unable to form a security force and is on the verge of becoming a failed state. tunisia does not have oil resources to keep the country afloat. tunisia's success in transition, the country with the largest number of foreign fighters in syria and iraq is tunisia. examining the factors to the rise of young tunisian men joining the forces. as the article reported, the moderate islamic government elected after the revolution

granted religious freedoms. , andther displays of piety veils were banned. they began recruiting in mosques and online. i raise the issue of tunisia to highlight the attraction of inad for use -- four youths what would be considered modern countries. the borders give fighters returning home the ability to exploit disablized populations. a terror cell claiming allegiance to isis has launched attacks in egypt. there are over 500 foreign fighters from lebanon.

a country suffering from the sunni in conflict. must counter isis before it grabs hold in tunisia, france, australia, and at home. government and religious leaders must speak loudly to the muslim world about isis's brand of religion. pope francis encourage muslim leaders to issue global condemnations of terrorism. muslim all leaders must condemn the terrorism and violence, because that would help the muslim people. the u.s. and our partners should offer training. the mosques should not be a breeding ground for terrorism. inope you will discuss greater detail the work for the center for counterterrorism

communication. we must utilize our foreign aid to counterterrorism in schools and among vulnerable populations. this is a global threat that and even aslobal response terrm the united states leads over 60 nations in the fight against isis, we will always be the face of his coalition and must remain vigilant about the threat of radicalization or abnormal attacks, similar to the tents in canada within a reporter. i want to thank all of our witnesses for appearing today. i look forward to a productive discussion on this incredibly challenging effort to counter radicalization, and the flow of fighters in and out of syria, and prevent future attacks to the u.s. and around lies. the chair will now recognize other members of the committee for opening statements. mr. wilson. on sunday, the fbi and department of homeland security issued warnings to american military personnel within the united states regarding possible threats from weisel. homelandis comes after

security secretary jeh johnson incorrectly announced "at present we have no credible information that isis is planning to attack the homeland of the night dates -- united states." this incorrect statement by secretary johnson proceeded his unconstitutional review of the illegal aliens. as a member of this committee and chairman of the armed services committee on military personnel, ungrateful to promote to promote the well-being of military members home and abroad , national radio talkshow host kim commando in her program -- she is the digital pro. minute,er digital restated the fbi and dhs mornings of isis threats here in america to military families. i look forward to hearing today on how we can protect american families from the grotesque thread of persons who seek to

conduct mass murder of american families in our country. thank you. >> the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia, mr. connolly, for one minute. >> thank you. i would hope that we guard against facile answers about syria. some of the president's largest critics cannot bring themselves to support his request to retaliate in syria against the use of chemical weapons, and had the president heeded their advice a year and a half ago, two years ago, isis today would be better equipped and better trained because it drew from the very insurgents the president critics were urging us to arm and train. there are three questions in today's hearing. what motivates these men and women, especially men, to join this barbaric movement? it's a troubling question for the west and for islam itself. secondly, how are they recruited? widely reported accounts of the use of social media, very

sophisticated, what is its appeal, do we understand it? finally, what are our options? it seems priority number one is to prevent them from getting too serious because once they do, we have a different set of challenges that require a whole different set of answers. i am looking forward to exploring those questions in today's hearing. thank you, mr. chairman. >> the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. cook, for one minute. >> thank you. it is sad commentary what is going on in the world right now. just when you think you have put on one terrorist group, there is another one that arises from the ashes. it is something that, i think, underscores the fact that we must stay ever vigilant, and frankly, we have to have a military that does not have its

budget cut to the bone in what is called c1 readiness. you never know what will happen tomorrow. i have been on this planet a long time. ted, i saw that smirk on your face. in my opinion, the world is probably the most dangerous it -- you know, i have been involved in these things, i have been in combat. now you strive to go forward and , not onlyorld safe for your country, but for your kids and grandchildren. so thank you for having this hearing. this is something that we cannot fall asleep on. as i said earlier, we have to be ever vigilant, we have to find out what is going on. i appreciate our folks joining

us to give us an update. thank you, mr. chairman. >> the chair recognizes the gentleman from new york, mr. higgins. >> thank you for holding this hearing. islamic state is a rapid conquest of the territory covered large portions of syria and iraq, is in part, going to the prolific recruitment of foreign fighters who now number an estimated 16,000, half of the islamic state fighting force. consequently, the integral part of the strategy to create -- to destroy isis must be an effective plan to stem the flow of foreign fighters who not only add to the islamic states fighting strength but to also represent a serious terror threat when they return to their countries of origin. of greatest concern are the roughly 2000 foreign fighters originating in western countries, many of which would not need visas to enter the united states or europe, until it can be properly addressed, the islamic states provision used of social media and other mediums to facilitate the

recruitment and self radicalization of individuals. countering these threats will require constant vigilance and enhance coordination with our allies. i look forward to today's discussion with our witnesses. >> the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois him -- or one minute. >> thank you for holding this hearing into the witnesses, thank you for being here. isare bombing isis, that good. i wish we had learned in january when there were only a few thousand of them. today we are playing catch-up. i recently got back from iraq, about two months ago. in 2009 as a military pilot, the war was one. when i went back, it was very devastating to see. i hope that we begin to hear from this administration, a strategy for syria. i echo what a lot of people have said. 200,000 dead syrians today, many of which are women and children, by the evil in the leadership of bashar al-assad, who is no

protector of christianity. he is an evil, that person, an incubator of isis. the reason this rebellion islamists, the reason they are attracted, is they see isis, some people see them as the best alternative to a side. tois important for us protect the fsa and allow them to clear isis out of their own country. hopefully we can hear that from this administration. it has been a few years but maybe we can catch something good soon. >> the chair recognizes the gentleman from rhode island is opening statement. >> thank you for holding today's hearing on this important issue. the continuing threat that isil poses to international stability is a concern to the united they stand our allies. addressing that threat with a copperheads of and careful strategy must be a top priority of u.s. strategy. it is our spots ability to develop a response to isis insurgency in iraq and syria

that ensures all of our options are carefully considered. even as the administration ransoms it spots with a 5.6 billion dollars request to fund the military response in iraq and syria and an operation to equip rebels in syria, isil continues to attract foreign fighters come including from western countries. we must do all we can to stop this flow of foreign fighters into the region. as part of this effort we must examine how and why isil is successfully engaging foreign fighters in how the u.s. can best restrict their access to additional fighting personnel and federal resources. i look forward to hearing of witnesses that we have assembled on these issues. >> are there any other members on the majority side? the chair recognizes the , 41lelady from florida minute. >> thank you for being here. minute.ne i have to confess, some

uneasiness on what we should be doing with isil. there are two issues loading around in my mind. i will try to articulate. based on some things i have read and heard, i want to get your reaction as you go forward. one, to pick up on my colleague andtalked about assad hundreds of thousands of his own people that he slaughtered, and causing -- many thousands of them to flee into other countries such as turkey, destabilizing those countries, and there are some who will say fiercesthe enemy, the fighter against assad. one question i have is how do you balance going after isil, and are you helping -- are we helping assad in that regard? the second issue i have read and

heard people say is that our , whether it is bombing, airstrikes, or whatever, that we folkso inflame certain use ourl cause them -- actions as a recruitment for isil. i would like your reaction to that. i yield back. >> anyone else? >> thank you, mr. chairman. thank you, ranking members of the committee. to the witnesses, thank you for coming to testify today, thank you for your service to our country. a number of my colleagues have touched on the issues around trying to limit the number of foreign fighters trying to come into syria and the region. obviously that is critical. the other aspect is our ability movements after

they are there and once they return home. this puts an awful lot of pressure on our intelligence agency apparatus to make sure that we can successfully identify those that have traveled and once they try to leave, their routes of entry back to europe and potentially back into the united states and canada. i would love to hear your assessment of those capabilities, how confident -- how much confidence we have in our intelligence communities in order to connect those operations if they need additional resources in order to do so, and what roadblocks you may see in terms of making sure that they are right every time. that is something that i hope does not do the cracks. recognizes the gentleman from illinois, mr. snyder. >> thank you. i want to thank the witnesses for joining us today and sharing what is being done on a very serious concern. it seems that there are three

challenges we face. one is cutting off the source of these fighters. i would be interested in hearing your take, as was mentioned earlier, why so many are coming from five countries. five countries represent half the total. morocco, tunisia, turkey, jordan, and saudi arabia. what is being done to interject their progress toward syria and iraq, how can we prevent them from going? and then the discussion of how we are making sure they do not come back. >> anyone else? i will introduce our witnesses and then give them time for their opening statements. the honorable robert bradkte serves as a partner on engaging syrian foreign fighters at the department of state. the ambassador has more than 40 years experience in dealing with foreign policy, national

security and previously served as our ambassador to croatia. visitings is a secretary for counterterrorism policy at the u.s. department of homeland security. prior to joining dhs, he spent several years as an international lawyer and private practice before a decade-long tenure at the department of state where he focused on the middle east. , we willr bradtke start with you. you have five minutes. >> distinguish the members of the subcommittee's, thank you for the opportunity to appear today on behalf of the state department that this hearing on isis and the threat to foreign fighters. i would ask that the full text of my statement be included in the record and i will proceed with a summary of my statement. chairman,an, madam the state department, along with other agencies in the united states government, is deeply concerned about the threat posed by foreign fighters.

fighters, many of whom al nusraed isil, front, and other organizations, are affront to people across syria and iraq and in danger the stability of the region. they are also a serious threat to the united states and our partners globally. we are concerned that these trained and battle hardened fighters will try to return to their home countries or other countries and carry out attacks. to respond to this threat, the united states has been working closely with our foreign partners for more than two years . this summer, with the growing threat posed by isil, the united states has intensified its response, by building a coalition of more than 60 countries with a goal of degrading and defeating isil. general john allen is being the conference of strategy across five lines of effort, including military support to our partners , disrupting the flow of foreign fighters, stopping isil

financing and funding, addressing humanitarian crises in the region, and exposing isil 's true nature. today, i'd like to describe to you how we are pursuing the foreign fighter line of effort. not only within the context of our isil strategy, but also within the broader framework of the threat posed by other terrorist organizations and groups such as al nusra and the course on group. critical to counter this threat is our engagement with our foreign partners. the state department has been leading a whole of government outreach effort with foreign partners, and never being carried out at all levels across the united states government, including by our intelligence agencies, the national counterterrorism center, the department of homeland security, the department of justice, the department of treasury, the federal bureau of investigations , our military commands, as well as our embassies overseas. in my capacity as senior advisor

for partner engagement on serial foreign fighters, i have led interagency delegation visits to 17 countries from europe to southeast asia to address this issue with our partners. we and our partners recognize that we must use all the tools at our disposal and cooperate across a wide range of activities. let me outline-- for you seven areas where we are engaging with our or in partners. first is information sharing. to prevent and interdict the travel of foreign fighters, we are working bilaterally to bolster information sharing on known as terrorists, and we have called on our partners to the increased use of multilateral arrangement for sharing information, specifically interpol's foreign fighter cell. second, law enforcement operation. we are using formal and informal mechanisms to help police and law enforcement authorities in

our partner countries to bring suspected terrorists to trial. third, capacity building. we have worked closely with a number of partner countries, including tunisia, to help them strengthen their infrastructure to tackle the foreign fighter threat, including stronger counterterrorism legislation and improved interagency coordination. fourth is stopping the flow of external financing to terrorist organizations. together with the treasury department, we have aggressively raised with our partners, cases where we believe individuals or organizations are raising funds used to support isil or other terrorist groups. in recent months, as isil has gained control of other territory, we are engaging with our partners in the region to cut off the funding that isil derives in the sale of oil and isolated from the international financial system. fifth is counter message and. we have not to expose the true nature of isil and other terrorist groups do the work on social media and internet at the

center for strategic counterterrorism indications. sixth is countering violent extremism. in my meetings with foreign partners, i have found all of us are looking for ways to keep individuals from being radicalized. we have been sharing our own experiences encountering bonaduce missed programs, which are carried out in the united eight, and we are working with partners to build their capacity to engage their own communities. seventh and lastly, is border aviation security. my colleagues in the department of homeland security will go into this area in greater detail. with his bilateral engagement, we have also joined with our partners in multilateral forums. in september, president obama presided over a session of the united nations security council that approved united nations security council resolution, a binding resolution that calls upon all countries, among other things, to prevent and suppress the recruiting, organizing, transporting, and equipping of

foreign terrorist fighters, and to take action to prevent radicalization to violence. also in september, at a meeting chaired by secretary kerry and the turkish foreign minister, the global counterterrorism for him adopted the first ever set of international good practices for a more effective response to the terrorist fighter phenomenon. the inaugural plenary of the foreign fighters -- foreign terrorist fighters working group chaired by the netherlands in place inill take marrakesh december 15 and 16. in chairman, madam chairman, a speech to west point, president obama stated, we must shift our counterterrorism policy to "more effectively partner with countries where terrorist networks seek a foothold." as i hope i have indicated in the statement, we are engaging with our partners, using all the tools at our disposal, any effort to do with the threat posed by foreign fighters.

a threat, unfortunately, that will be with us for years to come. i stand ready to address some of the issues that members raised during their statements and answer your questions. thank you. >> thank you, mr. chairman, madam chairman, ranking members. the opportunity to testify today about the efforts by department of homeland security to protect our nation from terrorists operating out of syria and iraq. i want to address how dhs helps protect the homeland from foreign fighters who are not from syria or iraq but travel there to participate in the conflict and may then seek to attack the united states on the u.s. persons, u.s. interests, or u.s. allies. for today, let me discuss the islamic state of iraq and labonte. i will not give this as a full threat briefing on isil. that would be best done in a classified setting.

present,t to say, at dhs is unaware of any specific, credible threat to the u.s. homeland from isil. however, isil has encouraged supporters to carry out attacks, and such attacks could be conducted without specific direction from isil with little or no warning. in addition, terrorist groups have shown interest in attacks on u.s.-bound airplanes terry terrorists have tried to conceal improvised the close of devices in commercial electronics in areas of the body they think will not be thoroughly searched, and in shoes, cosmetics, or liquids, in order to defeat airport security screening. and let me turn to seven specific security measures put in place in response to the terrorist threat from syria and iraq. first, aviation security. johnson july, secretary directed a transportation security administration to enhance screening at a number of overseas airports with direct flights to the united states.

ultimately, tsa increase the number of additional airports overseas to use in cramped green methods. dhs will work with air carriers and for airports to adjust screening measures to take account of changes to the threat. second, preclearance. one of secretary johnson's initiatives is to increase the use of preclearance at overseas airports with flights to the united states. preclearance means before a plane takes off, all passengers and their baggage are inspected by customs and border protection officers using their full legal authorities and using enhanced aviation security approved by tsa. we have had preclearance in airports in canada and the caribbean and we recently expanded it to ireland and the united arab emirates. aviationrking with the industry, airport authorities, and other governments to expand the number of u.s.-bound flights covered by the security benefits that preclearance brings.

third, tracking foreign fighters. dhs, along with the fbi, national counterterrorism center , and the u.s. intelligence community is making greater efforts to track foreign fighters who fought in syria that have come from the united states or who seek to enter the united states from another country. fourth, we are incurred and other governments to collect their own information on foreign fighters. this topic is almost always item number one on dhs' agenda with european governments. we are held by un security council resolution 1278 which has provided a new push for european and other governments to use technology like advanced , which dhsnformation has used to detect known and previously unknown terrorists, by giving us information on terrorist travel. fifth, enhancing the electronic ,ystem for travel authorization and the visa waiver program.

dhs is increasing our ability to track those who enter and leave syria and they later tried to travel to the united states without a state department issued visa under the visa waiver program. on november 3, dhs began requiring additional data elements that will allow cbp to conduct better screening and security vetting of suspected travelers before they board aircraft for the united states. the additional data provides an additional layer of security for the vwp. six, dhs is working to help communities identify homegrown violent extremists. secretary johnson regularly speaks of the challenge posed by the independent act or or lone wolf. in many respects, this is the hardest terrorist were to detect , and one of concern to dhs. through community engagement. secretary johnson is personally

for dissipating in community meetings in chicago, columbus, minneapolis, and los angeles, that focus on community concerns and building trust and partnership to counter violent extremism. seven, information sharing within the u.s. government. dhs and are interagency partners the valley with red data and ensure relevant information reaches dhs personnel in the field as well as our state, local, tribal, and territorial partners. releasesthe fbi intelligence bulletins to provide context and background with mtu's. our partners work continually to share information with each other about possible foreign fighters. chairman,an, not an since 9/11, dhs and our partners in the intelligence community have vastly improve the nation's ability to attack and disrupt terrorist plots. we asked for your support as we continue to adapt to emerging threats and to improve our

ability to keep our nation safe. thank you very much. we are happy to answer any questions. >> thank you. i will recognize myself or five five minutesr for questions. the u.s. is conducting airstrikes. how have those airstrikes affected the flow of foreign fighters into serious? -- syria? if it has? ambassador? question that might be better addressed to some of our colleagues in the intelligence community. my sense, looking at the numbers, is it is hard to say at this point, that -- what the impact is. it is relatively soon after these strikes take place, the numbers that we monitor, that we track, our estimates at best -- are estimates at best. it is early to determine precisely what the impact is.

it is obviously something that our intelligence community is looking at. in a classified briefing, they can give you their assessment. perspective, the numbers, again, can vary for a variety of reasons. sometimes we get better information from our partners and that results in an increase -- >> so we do not know if it is effective or not. ,> i would say, if the issue is effective in reducing the flow of foreign fighters, at this point, i would want to see more evidence before i would come to a conclusion. >> mr. ward, do you have a different answer? answer to that question but he to be delivered in a classified setting. >> turkey seems to me, appears extent,mplicit, to some of allowing foreign fighters to flow through turkey into syria.

would you weigh in on your opinion of what the government of turkey, their position is on foreign fighters going through turkey into syria? ambassador? >> turkey is a very important partner of ours in the region. we share very important common interests with them. we have a shared interest in seeing a political settlement in , aia that removes assad shared interest in combating the terrorist organizations operating in syria and iraq, shared interest in dealing with the humanitarian crisis, and also in promoting stability in iraq -- >> i understand that but that's not my question. my question is, is the government of turkey complicit in allowing foreign fighters to go to their country and fight for isil? >> i was trying to explain some of the perspective on this problem. the turks have more than one million refugees from syria

inside turkey. the turks have a 900 kilometer border -- >> i have been to one of those syrian camps. >> there are 37 million tourist arrivals in turkey every year. in turkey and we have had extensive dialogue with them on this issue for some time. they are taking steps to deal with the flow of foreign fighters. the turks have added a considerable number of names to their denied entry list. the turks are working with us to cut off the flow of funding that to thee from oil sales foreign terrorist organizations. >> isn't turkey buying oil from isil which comes from turkey to isil? significant traffic that we have discussed across the border. the latest information is that the turks are taking steps -- >> are they buying oil from isil ? >> if the turkish government --

if you are saying the turkish government is buying oil, no. if some people are smuggling oil across the border, yes. that is what we are trying to cut off, working with the turks. the other thing that we are working on is sharing >> so, they are not complicit, that is my question. >> they are not complicit. media, we know -- obviously, recruitment is being a very effective manner through social media. there is the argument by some, to not shut down social media because that's how they track terrorist organizations -- what is your opinion? or leaving or less it alone -- all social media,

how it is effective in tracking and recruiting terrorists? should we be proactive to shut that network down -- legally, of course? what is your opinion? freedom of ue of the internet -- freedom of on the internet -- is one that goes the on my responsibilities. clearly, we are watching it closely. we have dialogue with the -- in cases ders posts are being used. is a complex question -- well beyond my responsibilities.

fund-raising is something that takes legal action. there are great areas. think, we also believe, if down one account -- the chance of that popping up somewhere else is quite great. the other tool we use, is counter messaging ourselves. we tried to put out counter messaging on social media, on the internet -- to push back that way. >> mr. ward, i will you put that in writing because we are out of time. >> thank you. let me clarify a statement i made. the state department has thousands of experts in american law. you don't particularly need

more. experts in ve international law. experts help us persuade. been pushing on the state department for the part of a year to hire an expert in islamic law. is -- we hope the islamic state will issue statements that are helpful to us. we will ask them to come up with something on their own. now and then, we will call up a professor of islamic law -- have to hire anyone. american u contact an jurist and say, my cause is

just, please come up with a legal theory to support me in? which you hire whatever free advice you could get from a professor on the phone? or would you hire someone who is an expert in american law to get an american jurist to make a statement that would be helpful to you? for is incredibly important us to get scholars. it is about time that the state department hired its first islamic legal expert to full-time on that -- maybe a couple. time that somebody was hired in the state department to just because they want or took an exam. is required to criminalize

those who go to syria or iraq who go to fight with the extremists. >> if i may just come it comment on your first on islamic lawyers. >> may i ask the bastard to mic closer to him. >> we have -- to engage with these countries on implementing 2178. provide for the record, which are in are not in -- which made no e and have

serious promise to us. >> i would be happy to provide a list of countries. >> their legislative process be slow, but your office providing a -- particularly foreign have passed they laws prohibiting people going to iraq. i assume, taking it from your answer, that we are doing everything that we can to push our friends in europe and the world -- >> that are countries that -- like ady in place we do -- laws that criminalize.

>> are there some countries they just sit back and say no, we will just monitor them>? >> they are countries that do some of the fighters who come back have been disillusioned by their experience. they believe, those fighters monitored and not incarcerated. >> is that in compliance with the u. s. resolution? >> i'm not a lawyer myself. i would have to take a look at the issue. different k their approaches to take toward the fighters. particularly -- do not care -- if you are in isis army, you belong in prison. what un ems to be

resolution says. i hope you will add to your countries who say we will not criminalize our and join who went isis the army. it is also -- needing to of law this urt activity. again, i think our partners use different tools depending on what they know about particular issue. >> chairman recognizes the gentle lady from florida. >> thank you very much . isis' reach into the united states has been documented. know it is savvy and

uses social media tools to recruit people to its cause. we have seen pictures here in dc -- people in front of u. s. landmarks, including the white house. following up on what mr. wilson has said in his opening statement. fbi unday, dhs and released the bolton urging our to scrub mbers the social media accounts. on funding, isil is known to a nance its operations from of operations,

selling of il, ancient artifacts. what are we doing to target isil funding? what kind of isil with drug cartels -- is there any evidence of that -- especially in our hemisphere. what we doing to fight this? in order to defeat isil, we will need full collaboration with our partners -- in the middle se east. possible ways to fight the terrorists entity. just yesterday, not only to counter isil threat.

to ask, what ways are we working with the nations to fight this radical islam ideology? is this joint command a signal? you very much mdm. first, i will do this in -- on the issue -- of funding that would to the be best asked treasury department. not plays a small role in in terms of criminal investigations. >> a specific threat to our servicemen and women -- >> on that one, let me go back to what we said over the weekend. there were statements --

by isil in ents september to the effect of attacks toward -- of a specific are threat. able to have o be members of the state and local law enforcement and members of the military community, and families take reasonable precaution to reduce the risk of events taking place. of the very mindful techniques -- the use of social media that you -- and that isil is able to use. issue of sador, on the

our allies, are they fighting against the islam ideology? you have any info about whether they're willing to put boots on the ground in syria? >> we have a very close partnership with members in the gulf. there members of this coalition of 60 countries. a number of them are carrying out airstrikes in iraq. we have that kind of assistance from them. we are working closely with in off funding -- kuwait and qatar. law on passed a new private charities, so we will be better at regulating the flow of funding. sometimes when people donated

thinking it was going to a humanitarian cause it went to a terrorist organization. we are also working on the counter messaging front. we have talked about what we are doing. partners in the gulf are interested. again, we have a very close partnership. >> is the graffiti that we and other in dc cities -- are those legitimate? >> that would actually be a better n for -- fbi or d by the domestic law enforcement. george for five minutes. >> thank you.

can you speak in a little more teeth tell about the efforts that we are taking -- our from around the world sharing with us -- how do we determine if it will be the successful? >> let me say, as someone who is worked for a long time in the state department and in the government, i the center for counterterrorism very interesting. putting out a tough messages on the internet, on social media. it seems the kinds of things are used include putting atrocities edia the al qaeda and isil so

see the real terror of isil. this is not a way to help other muslims -- isil is killing other muslims. vvery powerful, very direct messages. of the numbers -- 10 or 12 ver the last months, they have put out 25 videos. over 1000 anti-isil tweets. there are two possible in fact. take down he isil to

cc sites. obviously, i message is getting out. they want take action. other countries have been very interested in what we have been doing. number of countries -- ranging from belgium to france of our north african partners have come to visit our operations in washington. like a set, we had this conference in kuwait -- are partners in the gulf are looking to see if they can do something similar. the european union is seeing if they can get a counter messaging program going. uk has a counter messaging program. again, this whole area of time messaging is very active.

be r my own sense, we cannot sure if individuals who see on a website say, that is the true nature isil not go to syria -- but, the fact that we get kids the site -- and how many you tell us hits have been on the site? >> i would be happy to get the information for the record. uk has a aid, and the center. who are we focusing on? clearly, i would imagine that will be slightly different targeting an audience or belgian

audience, from america. >> that is why we think it is important other countries develop the capability. the center is doing this in arabic, nguages -- urdu, and english. a he english messaging is more recent development, but as need for here is a other -- for example, french. that's why, we think it is important other countries develop this capability. >> mr. ward, this may be something that you can respond in your discussions -- if in writing espond after -- your testimony to preclearance at overseas airports, i would very much like to know what the plan is.

what airports are targeted, by when. >> that is the question we prefer to not address in and open session. would appreciate the sensitivity. in a close setting, we can get someone who can give you great deal of information on that. >> i was only following up on the countries identified in your testimony. where we have obviously, public matter, is where people see our offices in uniforms. >> the gentleman from south carolina. >> thank you for this joint subcommittee hearing today. this is very important. both of your testimony has been very enlightening.

i am very concerned. need to rican people know -- the present is ignoring the jihadist threat. the news on monday night biggest air t the launched in september, isis spokesperson called on muslims u. s. and europe to attack members of the military. the direct quote: do not ask for anyone's advice -- killed the believer, whether he is a civilian or military, because have the same ruling, both of them are believed to be waging war. another person said in another person said in a message on september 20, what is your current threat assessment of a jihadist or

foreign fighters in the u. s. homeland? >> that statement was posted by a foreign a participant, obviously the person was not in the home and when he made this message. there obviously a number of dhs tries to do to prevent people from becoming radicalized to violence. community hrough the efforts that i adjusted my testimony. in addition, there are other steps that other organizations like the fbi -- due to traffic activity, foreign travel.

are a number of people who address might be sympathetic to the radical message. >> the grotesque nature of that statement, along with carrying statement in english -- this is serious. that the y concerned present is focused on other example, for congressional campaigns -- and has been missing the danger. was ed on the bulletin that issued by dhs and fbi online g soldiers media accounts.

>> as i said, there is no specific threat targeting in a specific place. we do think it is appropriate that people are prudent. social media posting should describe military operational activity nor describe law enforcement activity or other measures. that we something in our own ple organizations and need our military to be prudent and what they post on social media. take those who reasonable steps, it is always foreign ifficult for fighters in syria to get to the united states. my department is working to make it even harder for that to happen. people e do is encourage to exercise reasonable prudence. we ere is the support that

need from communities in dealing with things that they on a local level, far before anything we would see. >> how you aware of any steps of defense partment taken to alert -- again, service members, military -- what veterans threats might be? >> obvious, we have guidance on that. i would leave it to them to about their guidance. we does that was important for us to remind people that this is the time that they should prudent in their measures in any activity or postings that they may have. the department of defense has a number of procedures and rulings that are in place. obviously, you can get the information from them. >> thank you.

organizes the gentleman mr. connolly. >> amb., i was looking at your long and distinguished record of service to our country and state department. to mr. me, to follow up sherman's question. do you speak arabic? >> i do not speak arabic. >> you have any expertise in the arabic world? >> i have traveled with secretary christopher extensively. >> but you were never assigned to the region? >> no. >> is it not true, that most of the foreign fighters recruited by -- or attracted isil in syria -- come handful of m a

countries -- mostly arab countries. >> many of the foreign fighters come from north africa. >> to the question -- it just seems to me that the state department seems to be promoting leadership from within that has particular focus on this region. i mean that without -- with no disrespect -- sometimes well ne can function very without any expertise. presumably, that is true about you. i do think mr. sherman has a point. s. have to m, the u. expertise in about we're going to

address challenges we face. when he asked your question, not see a mention of the kurdish community which seems to one of the military have in the we region. did you not talk about that? >> if you permit me, i would a word or two -- >> i have to ask you to move closer to the mic. >> i was asked by senior officials to come back and take this job. of my expertise -- i was asked to take this job that in it was believed

40 years of working in the i was able to nt, work with the fridays countries. able to work with my colleagues who have expertise. -- -to traveled morocco, tunisia, kuwait -- i don't think the fact that i do not speak arabic has been a hinge. meetings with islamic leaders in these countries. i met the leader of the islamic leader, i had a very good meeting with him about steps we can take to put out the word about isil and ice is not being representative of islamic values.

i do not feel that discussion we had was not intended in any way. >> i completely agree. that if i said without disrespect. i honor your career. i do think mr. sherman has a region is a s long-term challenge and threat to the u. s. we have to have expertise in the region. >> there is no disagreement. i believe there are really brilliant diplomats who are coming up through the ranks and serving -- honor you for your service. now, i beg you to adjust the kurdish question because we're running out of time. >> the reason i did not get more deeply into that is because it is not in my area.

is one of the lines of efforts that general alan is pursuing. mention the five lines. one of the lines is support our ground and that applies to the kurds. >> i hope we can talk about what has worked. troubled sometime talking about when they come back to the country, what do we do. sometimes it sounds like the de programming from a cult. things that have worked? how to integrate them in a good way. >> chairman recommends is the gentleman from california.

>> thank you mr. chair. ambassador, i wanted to ask you about the role of hamas and the muslim brotherhood in terms of perhaps facilitating the information on recruitment, of the smuggling activities -- if you have any from a at all diplomatic standpoint? >> specifically, i do not. >> no personal feelings? do have a basis for giving you could answer. >> let me switch a bit. i think, on this committee and

the house armed committee, very nervous about turkey. is e other base we have, obviously in qatar -- it's almost like we're giving them a free pass -- those two countries there. nervous about their activities in supporting isis and some of the other -- any comments at all the turkish situation -- in terms of being a squishy at least in my opinion. and yet, i nato, just do not trust them. >> i said earlier, i think

turkey is a very important ally. we just had vp biden in turkey. we are in ongoing discussion with turkey about what we can do on the border. of those discussions are going on. question time the comes up of smuggling and black-market activities -- who of buying oil -- a couple countries, and it is like they're getting a free pass. is anybody evaluating who are true allies are and who aren't? it's almost like the military stockholm syndrome. bases in those countries but we do not pressure them. that is basically what i'm asking. are they getting a bit of a free pass?

>> i would not say they're getting a free pass. -- we have a very strong in open dialogue. >> we talked to what about fighters coming to turkey. of the out, through some other areas. do they also come through -- large proponents from georgia -- are they largely from refugee camps where they are being recruited? >> the numbers of foreign coming from other countries are much smaller than turkey. iraq, jordan, and lebanon have lesser numbers. we have obviously -- in the of iraq and jordan,

lebanon as well -- goes beyond what i can talk about in this session. >> the last question i had, in regards to foreign fighters coming from russia. is russia facilitating their leaving the country and going another area -- simply because of the problems that they would cause internally in russia? aware of any evidence that they are encouraging foreign fighters to leave russia. >> thank you very much. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new york. think we need to ask the question, why they coming? isis, there most potent tool

is momentum. in e conquest of territory syria and iraq. the ability to maintain momentum. why, is isis so effective? because, there has been no effective counterforce to confront that. united states spent $25 the iraq building up the iraqi army ran. so, the new york times reported this morning that was a major deal between baghdad and kurdish leadership.

a permanent long-term the to provide 17% of national budget to the kurdish region. in addition, $1 billion to pay the salary and weapons in kurtistan area. and t is to be between 250 750 fighters. their experience, they are an effective army. they had proven allies to the united states in assisting us the invasion of iraq. they fought side-by-side with the u. s. troops. help the united states capture saddam hussein,

be a major to as it in a dynamic relates to iraq's ability to push back isis. i do not know if you caught the news of the steel this morning, but i would like you to comment on it. can break unless you the momentum of isis, it does not matter where foreign fighters are coming. the fact that they are coming is most important. to success and the momentum that has been sustained by isis over a long period of time is have nly reason you foreign fighters coming to iraq and syria to fight -- regardless of where they're coming from. like to hear comments on how this changes the dynamic in the region. >> that question within the well beyond my responsibilities, mr. higgins.

better for my colleagues to testify in a subsequent hearing. to a point come back made. clearly, yes the perceived success of isis is the reason why people are attracted. take in is isis to social media? their success in taking over critical territory. in the take a way the recruitment -- the success of isis, they don't really have a story to tell. >> i was agreeing with you is one of very important element why people are attracted to fight with isis. other factors as

well. there's the situation in syria itself. isis has made very powerful they are e idea that defending sunis inside syria. again, that is something that we try to push back against. their other factors ranging from the idea -- in some cases, economics. i've been in some countries where the fighters -- the primary motivation is actually -- >> respectfully, let me -- i point there is important being missed --

confront isis in syria. >> i do not think there is any disagreement. >> i yield back. >> the chair recognizes the gentleman from florida. thank you mr. chairman. has the state department canceled any passports? >> to my knowledge, the state not canceled any passports. >> why is that? we had secretary kerry here and he says he has the power to do that. what is the reasoning behind not doing that? i ask that because the director of fbi was on 60 a few weeks ago and he was asked about people who we have identified for joining isis -- could they come back to the united states.

they as asked and said, if have a valid passport, they have a right to return. constituents were surprised -- you have a right to come back just because you have a valid passport. me and my k constituents as insufficient -- tracking them. >> you are right, secretary right to revoke passports. importance for average americans for the freedom to travel -- >> obviously, foreign fighter would be an extreme -- would only do it also in consultation with law enforcement authorities. we have not had any requests from law enforcement

authorities to cancel passports of isis are foreign fighters. we have this authority, we have other tools obviously. >> maybe a known terrorist states and e united tracked by quote law enforcement, what does that entail? >> congressman, if we have indications that someone on the no-fly list is trying to fight to the united states, we would deny them boarding, if we authority to do so, we even recommend to the airlines. if someone shows up to the and there is , indication that that person has been a foreign fighter in syria, it would be referred to the fbi. it would be a matter for law

enforcement. would have the ability, at the border, and to ask any questions necessary and appropriate. we would have the authority to their luggage and personal belongings to determine whether or not they were a foreign fighter fighting with isil in syria. like this is taken very seriously. the notion that we would have someone into the united states them, that is not what we are working on. >> what happened with the citizen who went a trained in syria, then

according to the new york times to the united states. go back to syria. any didn't have intelligence on him? that's how he was able to come back. >> the intelligence that he to fight with isil was after he departed. certainly, it is unfortunate the chose the path that he did. had he come back to the united states, there would have been measures on his case based on the status that he had at the time that we learn that he joined isil. >> my final question is -- that was something i flinched

at. let me ask you, do we consider of iranians to be partners any sort -- even if just in the baghdad area. >> i can say from my point of view, i certainly do not consider iranians to be partners. >> thank you. i yield back. thank you mr. chairman. can you talk about foreign fighters -- are they being used in propaganda videos?

what his actual impact of the foreign fighters? >> again, some of this is information that could better be shared in a classified setting. let me share my observations from the work i have been doing. academic experts are doing some of them as well. the first distinction i would make -- isil has been willing take on foreign fighters. has al qaeda affiliate been somewhat less willing. you have that distinction. the foreign fighters have been a variety of ways. is a little different than foreign fighters in the case of afghanistan and iraq. very typically, the primary use of foreign fires was suicide bombers.

i think some are used to they're bombers, but more valuable -- the skills they can use, whether it is social media, equipment, medical, or other skills. i think they are being used in as well as fighters themselves. the very disturbing thing -- and academic has concluded that foreign fighters are often for some of the most distasteful things that isil is doing. if you know as for example, the beheadings. being ently these are by some british acts. peter newman that

has -- because foreign they do come to syria, are speak arabic, they anxious to impress isis. to do things g that locals will not do. >> thank you. colleague prior mentioned un resolution -- there was not only a new but a set of protocols -- is that a successful tool? on at imposes an obligation countries to prevent the ability of foreign fires to transit. what is the current status of that? was saying earlier, 2178 is a legally binding resolution.

it obligates countries to criminalize foreign fighters. back from ters coming indonesia -- we never had a out lem of people carrying terrorist attacks outside of indonesia. now, they're looking at harris to go to terrorist camps outside. countries are working hard to find where gaps in their legislation are. > i think it would be useful to have a sense -- i went to turn to turkey. that they are not complete state, but it is clear they have not been an enthusiastic partner.

just last week, several foreign fighters travel to turkey. are they in fact, sharing information in counterterrorism efforts. you keep saying that they are an important part of. think we recommend that have values, but their real questions on what they're doing on the ground. want a detailed of exactly what -- i following, we have seen steps by turkey to cut off oil. the information sharing and we have with the turks. >> i yield back. >> thank you, the chairman recognizes the gentleman from illinois. >> thank you. i appreciate it. me ask you both -- or

whoever is better to answer this. i'm sure he explained it, but please explain to me, what is our policy in syria? what are we doing there? again, i'm not here as the administration spokesman. >> you are kind of demonstration for me. >> right, and that is my responsibility, how we are dealing with foreign fighter problem. to make or explain our entire syrian policy. on you have been preached syrian policy though. the one ll give you sentence answer. bring about a settlement to bring a democratic future.

>> i like the line. one of the supporters in favor of the red line. it was the failure to enforce not red line that i have heard articulated -- a serious hassad out get a of office. engage with fsa elements. >> no, i do not. >> who engages with ssa? i do would >>

not engaged directly with syrian opposition. a n bastrop rubinstein is voice for that. certainly others are doing with this issue. others in the pentagon. not deal with do that. >> let me ask you this, why is it that isis is attracting foreign fighters versus fighters coming to fsa -- those kinds of groups. what is it a isis that attracts? that you have seen. think it was partially -- the discussion of having that they are successful. joining them is a way to combat.

it is somewhat the fact that they have marketed -- if you can say that. that they are an adventure. what isis sunderstand is doing. these are some of the factors that have caused isil to attract foreign fighters. >> i agree with you. i think success brings success. i have seen some isis propaganda and it is powerful. if you are a young person and something oking for fun to do, it looks fun. with a bunch of guys who are pushing this idea of jihadism. you can see that. my concern -- obviously

you're not the guy to talk the t this with -- but, message we send, that we have of members of congress -- who think the other thing is, if you are looking for someone to overthrow hassad. in our iscussion newfound strategy is that if we train a few thousand fighters over the next few would not attract anybody. i agree with you but, i hope, this administration really the issue of syria and understands that you going to defeat isis

without syria. thank you, i will yield back. >> the chairman recognizes the judgment from florida. >> thank you. mr. ward, is joining isis a crime under u. s. law? >> certainly, giving material support to isis is a violation of federal statutes. >> is a true of u. s. citizens and non-us citizens? >> well, the question of whether a foreign citizen violates foreign law -- >> no, u. s. law. to we have been known nationals oreign for violating statutes. >> let's talk about the irish president to have apparently joined isis. what would happen if one of to the united

states? to get into going hypotheticals -- i do want to somebody has where been identified as a foreign for isil in hting syria and it is possible to person, they e on a be in all likelihood no-fly list that will attract a great deal of attention before they can get on a flight to the u. s.. >> let's be as specific as we can. regarding the no-fly list, they would never be able to come to the u. s.? >> they would not be able to fly here. obviously, the no-fly list does not apply to other forms of transportation. continue continue

live online at cspan.org. we will leave it there. there are nine bills to be debated in the house today. they're coming up after 6:30 pm. we continue to hear the president obama will nominate ashton to take over. both will happen throughout the afternoon. coming if the senate is into session -- it is in session, a number of lawmakers voting. before the house gavel, house and senate republicans are planning a retreat in january. republicans scheduled to convene in hershey pennsylvania to talk strategy as a party taco