According to US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, in his first three months in office, President Donald Trump has ordered airstrikes and other operations that have killed 74 terrorist leaders who were planning to attack Western assets and the U.S. homeland.
In a comprehensive television interview, Waltz gave the counterterrorism casualty figures, discussed the outlines of a potential peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, forecasted that the president’s next trip to the Middle East would pave the way for the Abraham Accords 2.0, and maintained that China has been blinking behind the scenes in its tariff dispute with Trump.
When questioned about Beijing and tariff negotiations, Waltz, a former Army Green Beret colonel and congressman from Florida, said, “Well, they’re certainly reaching out,” on the Real America’s Voice network’s Just the News, No Noise television program. The reason for this is that President Trump is aware of their need for our markets. They want us to buy things. Leverage is something that President Trump is skilled at.
He is aware that you need to have that meaningful, powerful personal connection. You’re capable of being tough. In conversations, you can be tough. When negotiating, be firm. Trump is a very harsh guy. He has the kind of instincts that I haven’t seen in anyone. However, we can also reach an agreement that prioritizes America and benefits the American people.
Operations against terrorism
Waltz provided the most conclusive depiction of the administration’s intensified U.S. counterterrorism efforts, which, after reaching a climax at the end of Trump’s first term with an airstrike in 2020 that killed Qasem Soleimani, stalled under former President Joe Biden, the U.S. named the Iranian commander in charge of Tehran’s dreaded Revolutionary Guard as the one who coordinated terror proxies worldwide.
According to Waltz, the strikes have targeted organizations like al-Qaeda and ISIS in the Middle East and Al-Shabab in Africa, going far beyond the Houthi rebels in Yemen that have received the most media attention. He acknowledged that after taking advantage of the Biden years’ open border, these terrorist organizations have active preparations to attack the American homeland.
“I can tell you that terrorist organizations like ISIS, al-Qaeda, and Al-Shabab have plans to attack the country again. And if you look at the Biden administration, with a wide-open border, that was extremely dangerous,”
he stated.
“74 terrorist leaders that the Biden administration failed to pursue have been removed by President Trump. That is an amazing accomplishment in a matter of months, especially when you consider the 45 Americans he has brought home who are being held captive by different governments and organizations around the world.”
To emphasise his point, he added,
“Americans should sleep better at night. Consider the outcomes President Trump is achieving in only three months. Those topics are not discussed in the mainstream media.”
The figures Waltz gave were verified by U.S. military and intelligence officials on Tuesday, who also revealed information about some of the top targets that U.S. Central Command has hit and killed.
