THE TOPLINE: Some of an estimated 100 Americans who have trekked to the Middle East to join terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have returned to the U.S., according to a senior administration official.
The official said an estimated 15,000 individuals had entered Iraq and Syria to join groups like ISIS and the al Nusra Front. Of those, 2,000 were European and 100 were Americans, the official added.
{mosads}That figure includes Americans “who may have tried to travel or those who have come back,” a second senior administration official said.
“It includes those who have gone, those who have tried to go, those who have come back and are under active — the FBI is looking at them,” the official said.
The revelation could spark fresh security concerns about Americans who were radicalized abroad returning to carry out an attack on U.S. soil.
The president will be chairman of a Security Council meeting on Wednesday where he will seek a new resolution demanding countries strengthen laws and programs to staunch the flow of foreign citizens to the Middle East looking to join terrorist groups.
ISIS WAR COSTS?: The White House does not have a ballpark figure for how much the war against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) will cost Americans.
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Monday he did not have an estimate on how much the administration expected the campaign against ISIS would cost.
“I know that we’re interested in having an open dialogue with Congress to ensure that our military has the resources necessary to carry out the mission that the president has laid out,” he said.
So far, the administration has relied on the Pentagon’s 2014 war funding budget, formally known as Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO), to pay for operations against the terrorist group.
The White House had previously requested cutting OCO funding from $85 billion to $58.6 billion next year, but lawmakers decided to keep funding at current levels in the temporary budget measure passed last week.
The White House also indicated it would seek funding for the effort against ISIS from international partners.
Last month, Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby told reporters that operations in Iraq — which included airstrikes, beefed up embassy security and surveillance flights — cost approximately $7.5 million per day.
The U.S. has launched more than 170 airstrikes against ISIS so far, and is conducting around 5 dozen surveillance flights per day.
A-10s HEADED TO MIDDLE EAST: The Pentagon has quietly made plans to deploy a dozen A-10s to the Middle East in early October. Military officials say they aren’t specifically part of the campaign against ISIS, but could play a role in the future.
“The A-10 ‘Warthog’ is uniquely suited for the Combatant Commander’s needs, and the Blacksnakes are the right team to bring that capability to combat,” said Col. Patrick R. Renwick, commander of the 122nd Fighter Wing, on Wednesday, using a nickname for the unit.
Proponents of the A-10 “Warthog” fighter plane say the challenge posed by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria shows it’s too soon to scrap the aircraft, despite the Pentagon’s demands.
The Pentagon has for several years proposed retiring the A-10 to save money. However, the new fight against ISIS — with military leaders raising the possibility of U.S. troops in combat — could reopen debate over whether it’s a good time to replace the aircraft.
“The A-10 is staple of our fleet and I believe we should continue the program for the foreseeable future,” said Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), an Iraq veteran and member of the Illinois Air National Guard.
“It provides close air support in a way no other aircraft can and is beloved by our troops for the countless lives it has saved. As we turn to face challenges around the world head-on, I believe the A-10 will be an integral piece of our arsenal,” he said in a statement to The Hill.
Air Force officials say there are a number of other aircraft that can fulfill close air support missions — the F-15, F-16, the F-18, and the B-1 bomber, and so far have not used A-10s in the fight against ISIS.
But defense experts and proponents of the A-10 say there is no better aircraft to perform close air support as well as hit enemy targets in combat than the A-10, which is also known as the “tank killer.”
“It can identify exactly what targets they’re going to hit — whether it’s the right target, or friendly forces. It has accurate weapons, especially the Gatling gun,” said Winslow Wheeler, director of the Straus Military Reform Project at Project On Government Oversight.
WH: NO CONCESSIONS TO IRAN OVER ISIS: The White House said it would not make concessions in its ongoing nuclear talks with Iran for Tehran’s help battling ISIS.
“These are two separate matters that will be resolved separately,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters.
An Iranian official told Reuters on Sunday that the country would be willing to assist the U.S. campaign against ISIS, but only if it was able to get additional flexibility for its nuclear program.
Secretary of State John Kerry met with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday in New York. The diplomats want to try to reach a deal before their self-imposed deadline of Nov. 24.
Earnest said U.S. diplomats had “made clear, both publicly and privately that the conversations in the context of the [nuclear] talks are entirely separate from conversations of the international community, including the United States, may have with the Iranians about [ISIS].”
Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.), who might run for chairmanship of the House Armed Services Committee next year, warned it would be “absolutely foolish” to link the two issues.
“We have to remember that a nuclear Iran is the most threatening thing to world peace today. We cannot allow that to happen,” he said.
Forbes said he is “very concerned about Secretary Kerry and any kind of deals he might strike with Iran.”
He added that Iran is a “major, major concern for many of us around the world. If they get a nuclear weapon, it’s a huge game changer in the Middle East.”
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
— McCain, Graham blame Obama for rise of ISIS
— Missing Afghan officers found outside Canada
— Bill backs Hillary vs. Obama on Syria
— GOP senators to Kerry: Don’t concede to Iran on nuclear deal
— Bill would suspend visa waiver program to counter ISIS
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