General warns West is facing new ISIS ‘War on Terror’ after Middle East carnage

10 February 2024 , 22:30

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British Army, soldiers from the The Royal Welch Fusiliers, on July 2, 2004 around the southern Iraqi town of Basra (Image: Getty Images)

The West is facing a new ‘War on Terror’ with the return of ISIS and chaos in the Middle East, an ex-US general has warned.

Ben Hodges, a former commanding general of the United States Army in Europe, gave the chilling prediction that a new escalation in armed conflict was “coming”. His comments have been aired after Britain and the US launched joint strikes on Houthi Rebels following their attacks on ships passing through the Red Sea.

And they also follow drone strikes undertaken by US forces targeting Iran-backed military leaders in Iraq after three of their soldiers - Sergeant William Rivers, Specialist Breona Moffett, and Specialist Kennedy Sander – were killed at an American base in Jordan. There are also fears that terror organisation ISIS may be gearing up for a return after they were driven from their 'caliphate' in Syria and Iraq in 2017.

READ MORE: Middle East on 'brink of the abyss' warns Iraq as 16 killed in US strikes

Militants of ISIS posing with their flag (AFP/Getty Images)

General Hodges described Britain as currently operating in a “pre-war environment”. And he said the nation was now under threat from multiple united opponents it could develop into an out war in the near future. He told The Sun: “The UK is in a pre war environment. That means war is coming."

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His comments were echoed by security expert professor Anthony Glees, who said the threat of new terror attacks on British soil had increased following the recent conflict in the Middle East. And he warned that the UK’s traditional deterrents, including nuclear weapons, wouldn’t stop terror cells trying to infiltrate the borders to cause havoc.

Armoured personnel carriers (APCs) of the Iraqi forces and the Hashed al-Shaab (AFP via Getty Images)

He told The Sun: “I think we are in a very difficult position because the whole of our defence and defending our values has been built around our nuclear deterrent. And, you know, it's good that we have it. However, the nuclear deterrent deters from nuclear attack. It doesn't deter from conventional attack. It doesn't deter from terrorism.”

These comments emerged after the Iraqi government told their US counterparts that they were sending the Middle East to “the brink of the abyss” following a strike on an Iranian-backed commander in Baghdad a week ago.

Basim Alawadi, a spokesperson for the Iraqi government, said: "The American administration has carried out a new act of aggression against Iraq's sovereignty as American aircraft bombed locations in Akashat and Al-Qa'im, where our security forces are stationed, alongside nearby civilian areas.

President Joe Biden said the US would respond to the deaths of three servicemen at a 'time of its choosing.' (The Washington Post via Getty Images)

"This blatant aggression, caused the loss of 16 martyrs, including civilians, and 25 individuals sustaining injuries and resulted in damage to residential buildings and citizens' property.

"The American side intentionally engaged in deception and distortion of facts, stating coordination with Iraqi authorities—an unfounded claim crafted to mislead international public opinion and evade legal responsibility for this condemned crime according to international laws and principles.

"This aggressive airstrike will push the security situation in Iraq and the region to the brink of the abyss, jeopardizing the efforts of establishing stability.

"We assert that the presence of the international coalition, which deviated from its assigned tasks and mandate, has become a reason for endangering security and stability in Iraq. It also serves as a justification for entangling Iraq in regional and international conflicts."

Joe Biden previously said the US would respond to the deaths of three service personnel at a ‘time of our choosing’. He said: “We will carry on their commitment to fight terrorism. And have no doubt – we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing.”

Douglas Whitbread