I Fought A War Against Radical Islamists Like The One New York Is About To Elect

The terror attacks of Sept. 11 forever changed New York City and the United States of America.  It’s hard to believe that 24 years after the attack, New York City may elect a Ugandan-born Islamist mayor who openly campaigned with an “unindicted co-conspirator” in the first World Trade Center terrorist attack. As a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, I feel compelled to share my firsthand experience with radical Islam and warn America that Zohran Mamdani’s candidacy is a risk to America’s future.

Federal prosecutors considered Imam Siraj Wahhaj an unindicted co-conspirator of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing that killed six people. Several of the terrorists involved in the attack attended his mosque. Wahhaj was never charged in the bombing, but he “defended the attackers and called the CIA and the FBI the ‘real terrorists,’” as the New York Post reported. He was recently photographed standing with his arm slung over Mamdani’s shoulder. Mamdani brazenly called their meeting a “pleasure.” It’s stunning that the city’s leading mayoral candidate is openly campaigning with a terrorist sympathizer.

The radical jihadists who attacked America on 9/11 dramatically changed the course of American history. Personally, it was the catalyst that encouraged me and a new generation of warfighters to join the military. We wanted to kill the monsters responsible for that horrific act of terrorism.

In 2010, I deployed to Afghanistan as an Infantry Rifle Platoon Leader. It was the deadliest year of Operation Enduring Freedom. I saw radical Islam up close and personal. I believe it poses the greatest threat to Western civilization. The Afghans brutally beat their wives, daughters, and sisters. Young boys were frequently victims of rape. During Key Leader Engagements with local Afghan leaders, we would be served tea by boys who were sold into slavery and sexually abused. Our local Afghan interpreter told us that many children were sold into sex slavery by their parents in exchange for educational opportunities. He proudly informed me that many of these boys would return to murder their parents.