© 2024 Maine Public | Registered 501(c)(3) EIN: 22-3171529
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Scroll down to see all available streams.

Angus King Urges Caution with ISIS

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Angus King, an independent that serves on both the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Intelligence Committee, says President Barack Obama is right to be cautious in policies aimed at containing ISIS, the radical group that calls itself The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

"These guys are really dangerous," he said in an interview with MPBN News. "No. 1, they are smart and very well led, No. 2, they are absolutely dedicated and passionate, and No. 3, apparently they have no scruples, totally brutal."

King, an independent from Maine, says too many in Congress are quick to say bomb ISIS but he says it is best to build coalitions to deal with the group that is in both Iraq and Syria and seek to contain them.

"If you had asked me a year ago if I thought we should get involved again militarily in Iraq I would have said no," King said. "But I think in this case it is warranted."

King said ISIS has also been recruiting members from other countries, including the United States, and that poses serious homeland security issues. He said the United States recognizes travel visas issued by a number of countries so an ISIS member that holds a French visa could easily travel to this country.

King said it is unlikely the United States and its allies can "win" a conflict with the radical group. He suggested a policy of containment would be more productive.

"If there is a good side to this, it’s that these guys are so bad, that they have in effect unified a lot of people in the Middle East that are not used to being on the same side," he said. "I am thinking Iraq and Israel."

So far the United States has limited its military involvement to air strikes, and King approves those efforts. He warns to expect more acts of brutality from ISIS, such as the beheading of a Lebanese soldier over the weekend. The militant group sparked international outrage when it beheaded captured American journalist James Foley two weeks ago.

Journalist Mal Leary spearheads Maine Public's news coverage of politics and government and is based at the State House.