South Asia-linked terror groups remain a homeland threat, US officials warn

Senior United States national security officials have warned lawmakers that terrorist organisations with roots in South Asia continue to pose a direct and evolving threat to the American homeland, even as their methods shift away from traditional, centrally coordinated attacks.

Testifying before the House Homeland Security Committee, National Counterterrorism Center Director Joseph Kent said groups such as ISIS and al-Qaida remain active across South and Central Asia, with Afghanistan again emerging as a permissive environment for extremist activity.

Kent told the committee that fragile governance and political transitions in parts of the region have enabled militant organisations to find sanctuary, allowing threats generated in South Asia to reach well beyond its borders.

He said intelligence assessments show terror groups with historical links to Pakistan and Afghanistan are increasingly relying on online propaganda, encrypted communications and ideological messaging to inspire violence abroad, including within the United States.

According to Kent, the dominant trend in terrorism has shifted from carefully planned, cell-based plots to what he described as an “inspirational” model, in which individuals radicalised by overseas groups act independently, without direct operational command.

That assessment was reinforced by Federal Bureau of Investigation National Security Branch Operations Director Michael Glasheen, who warned that international terrorist organisations tied to ISIS and al-Qaida remain among the most immediate threats to the US homeland. He noted that some individuals are radicalised largely within the country but are motivated by extremist narratives promoted by foreign groups.

Kent also pointed to concerns arising from the post-Afghanistan evacuation process, saying US agencies had identified individuals admitted under emergency programmes who were later found to have links to terrorist organisations. Such individuals, he said, would under normal circumstances have been denied entry because of their associations with jihadist groups.

The security-focused testimony was followed by sharp political exchanges later in the hearing, including a tense confrontation between Indian American Congressman Shri Thanedar and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Thanedar accused Noem of misleading Congress on immigration enforcement and compliance with court orders.

Noem denied the allegation, maintaining that the Department of Homeland Security complies with all federal court rulings and has never detained or deported a US citizen, apart from brief detentions required to verify identity. The exchange escalated, with Thanedar demanding accountability and Noem responding that calls for her resignation amounted to an endorsement of her work.

The House Homeland Security Committee was established in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people. US officials continue to caution that instability in South Asia — particularly involving Afghanistan- and Pakistan-linked militant networks — remains closely connected to global and domestic security risks, even as the nature of terrorism continues to evolve.

With IANS inputs