Washington D.C. – Today, House Foreign Affairs Committee Lead Republican Michael McCaul (R-TX) appeared live on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom” in remembrance of 9/11 to honor the fallen heroes and examine the terrorist landscape 18 years later. Key highlights below:

Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom” 

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On the terrorist threat post 9/11: “It has been 18 years since that tragic fateful day. We can never forget what happened. But I would say that where we are right now, I think we’re a lot safer than we were before 9/11, but the conflict still rages in Afghanistan.

“We just saw yesterday, the Taliban tried to fire a rocket at our United States embassy in Afghanistan. Until we can have a cease fire with them, we can not have these negotiations with them. I think at the minimum Sandra, we have to maintain a residual force in Afghanistan—just like we’re doing in Syria—to protect the homeland.

“We saw President Obama withdraw 10,000 troops from Iraq and then we saw the rise of ISIS and the caliphate. We can not afford to see that again, and I think a residual force is the best way, of special operators, not occupying countries, but rather a force to protect the homeland.”

 

On preventing another 9/11 and the desire from terrorist organizations to attack American interests 18 years later: “You know the intent is still there. I don’t think their capabilities, they’ve been diminished to not be able to conduct external operations into the United States—doesn’t mean they won’t in the future. The problem with the Taliban is that they harbored Al Qaeda before and on 9/11.

“… It’s important we maintain this force, residual—we can bring it down in numbers—but to have special operators, to have that force to take out any potential threat to the homeland.”

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