The administration of US President Donald Trump is targeting Europe in the new “National Counterterrorism Strategy” released by the White House, describing the continent as a “hotbed of terrorist threats.” The document also targets “violent left-wing extremists,” while placing particular emphasis on confronting Islamist organizations and the ideology that Washington says fuels modern jihadist terrorism.
In the new strategic document, the White House identifies three main threats to the United States.
These are “narco-terrorists and international gangs”, “historical Islamist terrorists” and “violent left-wing extremists, including anarchists and anti-fascists”.
The reference to "left-wing extremists" is one of the sharpest formulations of the text, which reflects the hard line pursued by the Trump administration on security and domestic policy issues.
An important part of the strategy focuses on organizations that the US considers to be leading exponents of international Islamic terrorism.
These include Al Qaeda, which was responsible for the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, and ISIS-Khorasan, the organization's Asian branch.
The text also mentions the Muslim Brotherhood, which President Trump's adviser, Sebastian Gorka, described as "the progenitor of modern jihadist organizations."
The text of the counter-terrorism strategy includes a particularly critical reference to Europe and the migration policies implemented on the continent.
"It is clear that these well-organized hostile organizations exploit open borders and the ideals of globalization with which they are associated. The more these foreign cultures spread and the longer current policies persist in Europe, the more terrorism there will be," the White House document states.
According to Sebastian Gorka, the success of military operations against these organizations has led to a more widespread and difficult-to-detect threat.
He cited the New Year's Day 2025 truck attack in New Orleans as an example.
As he explained, the new American strategy now aims to cut off the funding sources used to recruit new members.
"We must discourage, we must weaken and we must delegitimize," Gorka said, adding: "We take ideology very seriously."
