Kerby Anderson

After the worst mass shooting in American history took place in Orlando, people were asking what we could do to fight domestic terrorism. Some practical, common sense ideas have surfaced in the last week that deserve attention.

The editors at National Review called for a long-term strategy to fight Islamic terrorism. First, they recommend that the U.S. no longer treat the Islamic State, a resurgent al-Qaeda, or other terrorist groups as distant enemies. They are bringing the war to our shores and will continue to do so unless we implement tactics to stamp them out.

Second, our foreign policy and military policy must prevent the establishment of safe havens for terrorists. The drawdown of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan made it possible for these safe havens to exist. We should also aid our Kurdish allies in their fight against ISIS.

Third, we must prevent the recruitment of disaffected Muslim men and women. That will require more than “positive messaging” from the government. We must also discredit the radical Muslim ideology that appeals to so many.

The editors of the Wall Street Journal also believe we can fight domestic terrorists with “sting” operations. It is often hard to second-guess the motives of some Muslims. Have an undercover agent invite him to take a step toward violence. If he refuses, then he is probably not a threat. If he accepts, then you know his intentions.

I saw the impact of this in Dallas. A few years ago, I was near a building that a suspected terrorist thought he was going to blow up. The undercover agent gave him a fake bomb, which the suspected terrorist attempted to explode. Fortunately, the bomb wasn’t real or I might have experienced something that could have felt like 9/11.

These domestic terrorists seek to kill and disrupt our way of life. It is time to take the fight to them before they kill others.