this is, again, u.s. special forces. u.s. troops. there on the ground in considerable numbers, not just in afghanistan and iraq but in libya, in syria, and in almost all cases they are working with local forces against isis and al qaeda and the taliban. that is you know, that s worth knowing on its own ter. we as a country are quietly fighting this war without paying too much attention to it, and that itself is worth fixing. but it is also worth knowing that u.s. forces are on the ground fighting, putting themselves in danger in all of these places right now. it is worth knowing that right now, because right now there is a new problem for those american soldiers. there s a new problem for americans who are serving in these dangerous places. especially where they are partnering with friendly, local troops for the mutual fight against isis and al qaeda. they have a new problem, and the the new problem is that this is now on television. the old expression to the victor belong the spoi
the big problem in yemen, in tunisia, in libya, and several other countries, is political and economic. they do not have governments that are capable of providing basic security. so you can strike targets in these areas but until you have a reliable ally on the ground a lot of this is like mowing grass. reporter: i have to tell you the death toll in yemen has been mounting all day. no signs of stability returning to any of these areas we are talking about. jake? barbara starr at the pentagon thank you so much. let s bring in the former chairman of the house intelligence committee, cnn s national security commentator, former congressman mike rogers. congressman, thanks so much for being here. isis making two separate claims on these terrorist attacks in tunisia earlier in the week and in yemen today. do you believe either claim of responsibility is credible, both, neither? i think they are both credible. i m a little more suspect of the
the distance between the northern shore of libya and the southern tip of italy is not very far. there are regular boatloads of illegal immigrants crossing that strait every single day, undocumented migrants. it is easy to infiltrate that human trafficking pipeline. i think that s why isis was making the threat that they will take europe through rome. i think they are trying to say that they are getting stronger in a place like italy and will be able to conduct attacks across europe. that s something that certainly law enforcement and intelligence officials have to be worried about. very interesting comments today in the washington post from retired general david petraeus who told the newspaper that in his view isis does not pose the greatest danger in iraq but iran and the shiite militia s under the influence of iran do. are you in agreement with that assessment? well if you think about what s happening in yemen, that s caused by iranian activities by supporting the houthis which
military equipment may now be in rebel hands. the restoration of a government there that will cooperate with us is very important. reporter: few signs of that and relying on drone strikes and u.s. fire power no longer sufficient. the u.s. should be and must be concerned about the spread of jihadist activity in these areas. reporter: fragile governments across the region are giving way to violent extremism, now spreading in tunisia, libya and egypt. in tunisia, the birthplace of the arab spring people are taking to the streets after terrorists at a museum killed nearly two dozen. two of those terrorists training next door in libya, where there is no central government in firm control. in egypt, one place where the government did respond. war planes pounding those isis camps in libya after isis militants slaughtered egyptian laborers.
it is equally likely that it is today. again, i just don t have the high degree of confidence. jake this is a big event. this will ramp up that sectarian violence that s happening in yemen which damages u.s. prospects for going after al qaeda in the arabian peninsula. again, the number one threat we believe to the united states when it comes to an al qaeda affiliate planning attacks against the united states. some very disturbing words today, congressman, from the french prime minister saying it s not a matter of if but when there will be another terrorist attack in europe. do you agree that isis is not just on the doorstep of europe but there and ready to carry out another attack imminently? i do believe just the way we have seen them recruit people in australia and canada and attempt to recruit people in the united states, that yes they probably have conversations with individuals across europe. libya is concerning because they have that northern region of which they re present.