Obama Lists Pakistan Among Likely ‘Haven for New Terror Groups’

In SOTU address, Obama observes that “instability will continue for decades” in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Observing that “instability will continue for decades” in many parts of the world including Afghanistan and Pakistan, US President Barack Obama today said both al-Qaeda and ISIS pose a direct threat to the US, during his final State of the Union address to the Congress.

Both al-Qaeda and now ISIL pose a direct threat to our people, because in today’s world, even a handful of terrorists who place no value on human life, including their own, can do a lot of damage.

Barack Obama, US President

In his eighth State of the Union address, Obama said terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and ISIL (also known as ISIS or Islamic State) use the Internet to poison the minds of individuals inside the country; they undermine American allies.

Obama further said,

If you doubt America’s commitment – or mine – to see that justice is done, ask Osama bin Laden. Ask the leader of al-Qaeda in Yemen, who was taken out last year, or the perpetrator of the Benghazi attacks, who sits in a prison cell. When you come after Americans, we go after you. It may take time, but we have long memories, and our reach has no limit.

Barack Obama

He said that America’s foreign policy must be focused on the threat from ISIS and al-Qaeda, but it can’t stop there.

For even without ISIL (ISIS), instability will continue for decades in many parts of the world – in the Middle East, in Afghanistan and Pakistan, in parts of Central America, Africa and Asia. Some of these places may become safe havens for new terrorist networks; others will fall victim to ethnic conflict, or famine, feeding the next wave of refugees. The world will look to us to help solve these problems, and our answer needs to be more than tough talk or calls to carpet bomb civilians. That may work as a TV sound bite, but it doesn’t pass muster on the world stage.

Barack Obama

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