Tester Pushes for Additional Details to Help Defeat and Destroy ISIS

As the United States and an international military coalition continue to hand ISIS defeats across Iraq and Syria, Senator Jon Tester today pushed for additional details on the motives and tactics ISIS uses to recruit extremists and establish terror cells across the world.

Tester questioned a panel of international experts, including Religious Studies Director of the World Organization for Resource Development and Education Dr. Tarek Elgawhary, on the details of ISIS’s recruiting efforts and the motivating factors of the terrorists who seek to join ISIS.

“Identifying the root causes that push folks toward extremism is the first step to defeating terrorist groups like ISIS,” Tester said.  “It is critical that we continue to use both collaborative military action and education to eliminate any motivation that folks have to join ISIS.”

Despite ISIS’s recent defeat last week at Fallujah, Iraq, Dr. Elgawhary responded that ISIS continues to forcibly coerce locals to join the terror organization.

Since 2014, ISIS has lost 45 percent of its territory in Iraq and 20 percent in Syria due to continued efforts by the United States and coalition forces. Tester supports targeted air strikes to take out ISIS cells and supports updating the Authorization for Use of Military Force.