‘Eliminate Them Before They Eliminate Us’: Ben Carson Says We Must ‘Destroy’ Islamic Terrorists In Wake Of Paris Attacks

Ben Carson is giving up his gentle demeanor for an aggressive stance against the Islamic State following the terrorist attacks in Paris, France. Carson says to “eliminate them before they eliminate us” and says the United States has an obligation to “destroy” the terrorist organization to bring peace to the world.

The Daily Mail reports GOP presidential hopeful Ben Carson is taking a very vocal stance against ISIS in the wake of the Paris terror attacks. Carson spoke to the media in Orlando, Florida, following the summit of Florida Republicans. During his speech, Carson said that if he were president right now that he would “destroy” the enemy. The presidential hopeful also said that America should have one goal when dealing with the terror organization and that is to “eliminate them completely.”

“I think America’s involvement should be trying to eliminate them completely. Destroy them!”

Ben Carson is typically known for his laid-back approach to tough topics and soft-spoken demeanor. However, he seems to have taken on a new sense of urgency following the terrorist attacks in Paris, noting that this is a global issue and one that must be dealt with swiftly. Carson outlined the steps that he said the United States should take as a country to ensure events like yesterday’s massacre never happen again.

Carson said he would work with all of the U.S. allies in a bid to eliminate the terrorists and their organizations completely. He notes that his plan would not be an effort to “contain” the problem but would rather be an effort to “eliminate” it altogether. He noted that force would be required and that the government should use every means possible to eliminate the threat. He mentioned covert operations to take out members of the organization, along with overt operations in the form of open military force. He says the effort would take “boots on the ground” and all military sources available.

“I would be working with our allies using every source known to man – in terms of economic resources, in terms of covert resources, overt resources, military resources, things-that-they-don’t-know-about resources, in an attempt not to contain them, but to eliminate them before they eliminate us. You have to recognize that the global jihadist movement is an existential threat which is very different than anything that we’ve faced previously.”

Meanwhile, the GOP front-runner Donald Trump chose to cancel his speech following the Florida GOP meeting. Instead, Trump took to Twitter to voice his concerns for the world at large.

My prayers are with the victims and hostages in the horrible Paris attacks. May God be with you all.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2015

Trump then attacked President Barack Obama, noting that the leader had made statements regarding the shrinking of ISIS forces just before the deadly Paris attacks. Trump noted that the interview was given in the hours leading up to the Paris attacks with President Obama quoted as saying, “ISIL continues to shrink.”

President Obama said “ISIL continues to shrink” in an interview just hours before the horrible attack in Paris. He is just so bad! CHANGE. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 14, 2015

Though Donald Trump and Ben Carson have had their spats in the past, it seems that they are in agreement on the measures needed to tackle the Islamic State as a whole. Even before the terrorist attacks in Paris, Donald Trump had pointed to potential issues for the nation by allowing Syrian refugees into the country. He said the Islamic State would use the refugee process to sneak in terrorists as the ultimate Trojan horse. It seems that at least one of the terrorists responsible for the Paris attack entered the country due to his refugee status. French police revealed a Syrian passport was found on a bomber’s body which showed he had entered France through Greece in October using Syrian refugee status.

Ben Carson is echoing the concerns over Syrian refugees potentially working with the Islamic State. The presidential hopeful says he disagrees with the Obama Administration’s allowance of Syrian refugees to enter the United States and says he would “not allow them to come in the first place.”

What do you think of Ben Carson’s bold statements regarding the Paris terrorist attack?

[Photo by Joe Raedie/ Getty Images]