Clinton to praise local anti-terror efforts in speech at the U Tuesday

WASHINGTON -- Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton on Tuesday will praise local countering violent extremism efforts underway in the Twin Cities that brings together law enforcement, mosques and community leaders in hopes of halting young men tempted to travel abroad to fight with the Islamic State, Clinton's campaign said Tuesday.

Last month at the Council of Foreign Relations, Clinton laid out a three-part plan for defeating ISIS and "winning the broader struggle against radical jihadism," the campaign said. Later Tuesday, in a speech at 3 p.m. at the University of Minnesota, Clinton will also detail the third element of her plan: how to defend the country and prevent radicalization here at home.

From the campaign: "Clinton's address Tuesday will call for a #360-degree strategy to keep America safe countering terrorists from every angle and stopping every step in the process that could lead to another San Bernardino, from recruitment to training to planning to attacks."

Clinton's five-part plan includes: shutting down domestic ISIS recruitment, stopping would-be jihadists from getting training overseas, discover and disrupt plots before they can be carried out, support law enforcement officers and empower Muslim-American communities on the front lines of the fight against radicalization.

Minneapolis is part of a nationwide pilot project to counter violent extremism. The project, led by Minnesota's top federal prosecutor Andy Luger, brings together law enforcement, Muslim religious leaders and youth groups in trying to target youth early who may be at-risk or vulnerable from the effective recruiting practices to join fighters in Syria or Iraq.

So far, ten Somali-American men from Minnesota have been charged with attempting to go abroad to fight with ISIL.

The countering violent extremism efforts, also called CVE, were praised earlier this year at the White House. Some local Muslim leaders have criticized the program because they think it puts law enforcement in compromising positions with the community.

Republicans countered early Tuesday that Clinton's efforts are just like President Obama's -- and labeled the approach as weak.

"This is the backdrop of Clinton's speech today -- a more chaotic world, and a homeland made less safe due to the failed approach she and President Obama have supported over the past seven years," the Republican National Committee said in a statement Tuesday.