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Effective Action Against Extremists
The Washington Post
By Chairman Thornberry
January 12, 2015
Full text below
"Last spring, first lady Michelle Obama held a sign that said “#BringBackOurGirls,” a response to the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls in Nigeria by an al-Qaeda cousin called Boko Haram. The girls are still missing. In December, members of the Pakistani Taliban murdered 132 schoolchildren and 10 staff members in Peshawar.
"Last week in Paris, gunmen attacked a newspaper that had published cartoons parodying religious figures, including Muhammad; 12 people were killed. The people of Paris responded with a rally where they held up signs.
"Signs and Twitter hashtags don’t stop terrorists. Strong, effective intelligence-gathering, law enforcement and military action must be used or barbaric attacks will continue. There are real questions today about whether the fight against violent Islamist extremists is being won or lost. It is clear that they continue to adapt their tactics and have no restrictions on what they are willing to do and whom they are willing to kill.
"The question before nations worldwide is whether we will show the agility and determination to counter them."
Mac Thornberry
The writer, a Republican from Texas, is chairman of the House Armed Services Committee
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