the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) has morphed into a worldwide jihadi network. Casting a vast net --- Number of ISIS fighters in Syria and Iraq declined by thousands – US intelligence report Published time: 5 Feb, 2016 04:01Edited time: 5 Feb, 2016 19:48 Get short URL <http://on.rt.com/73ob> [image: Fighters of the Islamic State © Stringer] Fighters of the Islamic State © Stringer / Reuters
The Islamic State has lost thousands of fighters in Iraq and Syria, the White House said, praising the US-led coalition’s efforts. The latest American intelligence estimates show there are up to 25,000 militants, over 6,000 less than before. *“That means they continue to be a substantial threat, but the potential numbers have declined,”* White House spokesman Josh Earnest told <https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/02/04/press-briefing-press-secretary-josh-earnest-242016> reporters, though he did not give much detail on the source of the estimates. According to the *“new assessment,”* Earnest said the ranks of the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) have thinned out from the previously estimated number of up to 31,500 militants. *“The old assessment was a range of 20,000 to 31,500 fighters. The updated assessment is now a range of 19,000 to 25,000 fighters,”* he said. Speaking on the factors behind the decline, the White House pointed out *“a number of airstrikes”* by the US and its partners, as well as *“success”* and *“some important progress”* in stopping the flow of foreign fighters into Syria and Iraq. *“That’s a testament to the efforts of our partners on the ground who are taking the fight to ISIL on the ground. As a result of those efforts, ISIL has sustained significant casualties. It also is a testament to our aggressive military campaign in the air,”*Earnest concluded. *“ISIL is having more difficult time than they’ve had before in replenishing their ranks.”* However, the threat of the terrorist group expanding its footprint in Iraq and in Syria is still there, the White House representative said, stressing that Washington has been *“mindful”* of Libya and Afghanistan, two other potential targets of IS. *“We also know that ISIL has always had designs on looking for other areas that are experiencing political instability to try to establish another foothold,”* Earnst said. On Tuesday, the Pentagon said it was exploring ways to increase *“the pressure on the enemy,”* which “could be coalition boots on the ground.” According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), the coalition has conducted 20 strikes <http://www.centcom.mil/en/news/articles/feb.-4-military-airstrikes-continue-against-isil-terrorists-in-syria-and-ir> on February 3. The US Air Force began a bombing campaign on IS positions in Iraq on August 8, 2014. On September 23 of that year, American warplanes started airstrikes in Syrian territory, provoking a highly negative reaction from Damascus, as Washington had not obtained the authorization of President Bashar Assad’s government to conduct operations in Syrian airspace. The US-led anti-IS coalition (66 member states) has since been criticized for lack of significant progress. On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also pointed out that the coalition’s *“operations have become more effective,”* while stressing that the success was not without Russia’s own efforts in Syria. *“We’re glad that with the success of the Russian campaign in Syria, the [US-led] coalition’s operations have become more effective,”* Lavrov said. The Russian task force in Syria began airstrikes on IS positions in Syria on September 30, 2015, at the request of the Syrian government. Lavrov advocated for real-time coordination between the Russian and American air forces, and the forces fighting terrorist groups on the ground. *“Being pragmatic, we’re interested in coordination of our efforts with the US-led coalition. And not only to avoid incidents, but in something more practical and in-demand today: real-time coordination between those [forces] operating on the ground and the air force of Russia and the coalition,”* Lavrov said. On Thursday, March 10, 2016 at 1:50:31 PM UTC-6, Travis wrote: > > > > > > > > > > http://thecipherbrief.com/article/middle-east/affiliates-isis > > > > Containing the Cancer > > March 10, 2016 | Bennett Seftel > > > > From its base in Syria and Iraq, the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) has > morphed into a worldwide jihadi network. Casting a vast net is part of > ISIS’s grand strategy, which focuses on using terrorist tactics to > establish an Islamic Caliphate across Muslim lands and attacking Western > targets as part of its apocalyptic vision. > > “The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has become the preeminent > terrorist threat because of its self-described caliphate in Syria and Iraq, > its branches and emerging branches in other countries, and its increasing > ability to direct and inspire attacks against a wide range of targets > around the world,” wrote Director of National Intelligence James Clapper in > his 2016 Worldwide Threat Assessment released in February. > > On Monday, this sentiment was echoed by Lisa Monaco, a top > counterterrorism official at the White House, who stated that that > terrorist threat today “is broader, more diffuse—and less predictable—than > at any time since 9/11.” > > When offering their assessments of the campaign to degrade and ultimately > destroy ISIS, some U.S. officials, including Brett McGurk, the Special > Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, are quick to > point out that “ISIL has not had a significant battlefield victory {in > Syria and Iraq} since May 2015 and over a dozen major cities have been > liberated from ISIL since the start of the campaign.” Such statements > indicate that the U.S.-led coalition is making headway in its effort to > eradicate ISIS. > > Despite territorial losses to its self-declared caliphate, ISIS remains > committed to spreading its ideological message, harsh rule, and terrorist > objectives to new outposts. “ISIL has reacted to these losses in Iraq and > Syria by lashing out overseas – conducting the kinds of terrorist attacks > that Beirut and Paris witnessed in November and Istanbul and Jakarta > witnessed in January,” explained McGurk in his testimony before the House > Foreign Affairs Committee last month. “The Islamic State has indeed been > diverting resources for the larger cause,” writes The Cipher Brief expert > Aki Peritz. > > And this strategy appears to be working. While much attention has been > directed at battling ISIS in Syria and Iraq, the terrorist group has also > been able to solidify key strongholds in Libya and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. > During the past few months, ISIS has sent several of its leaders to Libya > in an effort to avoid the U.S.-led aerial bombardment, and ISIS’s offshoot > in the Sinai continues to conduct smaller scale attacks. > > ISIS’s metastasis does not stop there. The group has worked to cultivate > branches in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, > Somalia, West Africa, and the Caucasus. Earlier this month, estimates > placed the number of ISIS global affiliates at 43, up from the 34 reported > last December. Since ISIS’s ascension to the spotlight of the global jihadi > scene two years ago, several terrorist organizations, most notably Boko > Haram in Nigeria and certain elements of al-Shabab in Somalia, have > switched their allegiance from al Qaeda’s emir, Ayman al Zawahiri, to ISIS > leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. > > Furthermore, ISIS continues to grab headlines for attacks outside of Syria > and Iraq. Earlier this week, ISIS militants launched raids along the > Tunisian-Libyan border, killing several members of Tunisia’s security > forces. Last week, Jordanian authorities foiled an ISIS terrorist plot near > the Jordanian-Syrian border, killing seven militants. On Monday, > Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner and senior counterterrorism > coordinator in the UK, Mark Rowley, warned that the UK authorities should > be on alert for an “enormous and spectacular” terrorist atrocity planned by > ISIS. > > Thus, “as ISIS faces an uncertain future, regular setbacks in Syria/Iraq > motivate them to expand into other areas,” writes The Cipher Brief expert > Dr. Michael W.S. Ryan. Ousting ISIS from its headquarters is critical for > curbing the group’s momentum and exposing its weaknesses, but an effective > counter-ISIS strategy must also take into account ISIS affiliates outside > of Syria and Iraq as they continue to threaten regional and global security > > > > > __._,_.___ > ------------------------------ > Posted by: "Beowulf" <[email protected] <javascript:>> > ------------------------------ > > > Visit Your Group > <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/grendelreport/info;_ylc=X3oDMTJmdnA0djEyBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzIwMTk0ODA2BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTMyMzY2NwRzZWMDdnRsBHNsawN2Z2hwBHN0aW1lAzE0NTc2Mjk1MTY-> > > > > [image: Yahoo! Groups] > <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo;_ylc=X3oDMTJldGhnMGhjBF9TAzk3NDc2NTkwBGdycElkAzIwMTk0ODA2BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTMyMzY2NwRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNnZnAEc3RpbWUDMTQ1NzYyOTUxNg--> > > • Privacy <https://info.yahoo.com/privacy/us/yahoo/groups/details.html> • > Unsubscribe <javascript:> • Terms of Use > <https://info.yahoo.com/legal/us/yahoo/utos/terms/> > > __,_._,___ > > > -- -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "PoliticalForum" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
