Former Defense Secretary Predicted: Manchester a 'Harbinger' of More Attacks

WASHINGTON – Speaking at a conference on Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood a week ago, former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said now that ISIS is being defeated in the Middle East, the United States needs to expect more terrorist attacks like the one which took place in Manchester, England.

"I think sadly, Manchester will be a harbinger of more activities in the West," Gates warned. 

"You will see ISIS become more active and more aggressive in a variety of places in the West, having lost the caliphate and the cities like Raqqa and Mosul … as people leave, scurry away from those sites," he said. "And that doesn't mean they're defeated individually, or they've lost their commitment to attacking the crusaders, or whatever they call us — they'll change their tactics." 

Gates, along with other Middle East experts, discussed the issues facing America at a conference hosted by the Washington, D.C., think-tank the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Also speaking at the event were Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., and Jack Sullivan, former national security advisor to Vice President Joe Biden.

In the recent Manchester attack, at least 22 people were killed and over 50 were injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up at an Ariana Grande concert.