WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — Senior U.S. national security officials warned lawmakers that terrorist groups with roots in South Asia still pose a direct and evolving threat to the United States. They said these groups now favor online radicalization and lone-actor attacks over large, centrally planned plots.
The warnings came during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on global threats. Officials focused on Pakistan- and Afghanistan-linked networks tied to ISIS and al-Qaida. They said instability in the region continues to fuel extremist activity that reaches the U.S. homeland.
National Counterterrorism Center Director Joseph Kent told lawmakers that ISIS and al-Qaida remain active across South and Central Asia. He said Afghanistan has again become a permissive environment for extremist groups. Kent said weak governance and political upheaval in parts of South Asia have allowed militant groups to regroup. He warned that these conditions help terror threats spread beyond the region.
U.S. intelligence agencies, Kent said, track ongoing links between extremist networks in Pakistan and Afghanistan and global terror efforts. These links still matter, even as tactics change.
Kent said terrorist groups no longer rely as much on tightly organized cells. Instead, they use digital tools to inspire violence from afar. He said groups now depend on online propaganda, encrypted messaging apps, and ideological content. These tools help radicalize individuals who then act on their own.
“The trend has shifted toward inspiration rather than direction,” Kent told the committee. He said individuals often carry out attacks without direct orders from overseas leaders. This shift, he added, makes threats harder to detect. Lone actors can plan attacks with little warning and minimal contact with known extremists.
FBI National Security Branch Operations Director Michael Glasheen echoed Kent’s concerns. He said international terrorist organizations remain among the most serious threats to U.S. security. Glasheen said some individuals radicalize inside the United States. Foreign extremist groups still influence them through online messaging and propaganda. He warned that ISIS- and al-Qaida-linked narratives continue to motivate violence. Even when attackers act alone, the threat often traces back to overseas networks.
Kent also raised concerns about the U.S. evacuation from Afghanistan. He said emergency admission programs allowed some individuals into the country who later raised red flags. U.S. agencies, he said, identified people who showed ties to terrorist organizations after arrival. Under normal screening rules, officials would have denied them entry. Kent said authorities continue to review cases and take steps to reduce risks. He did not provide numbers but stressed that the issue remains a concern for national security officials.
The hearing later turned tense as lawmakers shifted focus to immigration enforcement and court compliance. Rep. Shri Thanedar, an Indian American Democrat from Michigan, sharply questioned Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. He accused her of misleading Congress about whether immigration agents had detained U.S. citizens. Thanedar told Noem she had lied under oath. He pressed her on claims tied to immigration enforcement actions.
Noem denied the accusation. She said the Department of Homeland Security follows all federal court orders. She also said DHS does not detain or deport U.S. citizens, except briefly to confirm identity. The exchange grew heated. Thanedar demanded accountability and asked whether Noem would resign if removed from office. Noem responded that calls for her resignation showed confidence in her work.
The House Homeland Security Committee was formed after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. Since then, U.S. officials have tracked evolving terror threats tied to global instability.
