US Department of State Needs More Islamic Experts: Congressman

The US has too many experts of American and international law and in the wake of the rise of IS more Islamic experts are needed to help the country have a better understanding of the terrorist organization, American congressman Bred Sherman stressed.

WASHINGTON, December 3 (Sputnik) — The US Department of State needs to hire more Islamic scholars and legal experts for the United States to convince other countries that Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIS/ISIL) poses a threat, California Rep. Brad Sherman, a Democrat, said.

"It is incredibly important that we get Islamic scholars, experts to issue rulings adverse to ISIS and favorable to the United States," Sherman told members of a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Tuesday.

The United States has too many experts of American and international law and in the wake of the rise of IS more Islamic experts are needed to help the country have a better understanding of the terrorist organization, he stressed.

"When we get the recognized legal scholars in the Islamic world on our side that would be helpful but we haven't hired a single lawyer and we're going to courts around the world," Sherman said.

Meanwhile, the United States and its allies have been intensifying exchanges of information related to IS as well as counter messaging strategy, cutting off funding to the terrorist group, according to US Ambassador to Croatia Robert Bradtke who testified during the Tuesday hearing.

IS militants have been fighting against the Syrian government since 2012. In June, 2014 the terrorist organization began attacking Iraq and declared a caliphate on the territories it held.

Amid the advance of Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, the United States launched an international coalition that is conducting airstrikes against IS positions in both countries. Over 60 nations have been contributing to the coalition, though not all of them carry out airstrikes.