IS Regenerating More Quickly In Iraq Than Syria - Pentagon Inspector General Report

IS Regenerating More Quickly in Iraq Than Syria - Pentagon Inspector General Report

The Islamic State terror group (outlawed in Russia) is re-growing more quickly in Iraq, where it maintains pockets of support, than in Syria, a new report by the US Department of Defense Office of Inspector General said on Monday

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th February, 2019) The Islamic State terror group (outlawed in Russia) is re-growing more quickly in Iraq, where it maintains pockets of support, than in Syria, a new report by the US Department of Defense Office of Inspector General said on Monday.

"Currently, [the Islamic State] is regenerating key functions and capabilities more quickly in Iraq than in Syria, but absent sustained pressure, could likely re-surge in Syria within six to twelve months," the report said.

The report explained that the Islamic State maintains pockets of popular support throughout Iraq, and uses tactics, including improvised explosive devices and assassinations, to target the Iraqi government.

The terror group also engages in robbery and money laundering to generate revenue, the report said.

According to Defense Department officials, the Islamic State continues to attract foreign fighters to Syria and Iraq each month.

"The actual number is unknown, but estimated that it is 'most likely 50 per month,'" the report said.

While President Donald Trump declared in December that Islamic State has been defeated, the Inspector General report described the terror group as a potent force of battle-hardened and well-disciplined fighters that continues to be able to coordinate offensives and counter-offensives, as well as operate as a decentralized insurgency.

Last week, the US Senate rebuked Trump's plan to begin withdrawing US forces from Syria and Afghanistan, with lawmakers approving legislation sponsored by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell opposing a troop pullout.

Some members of Congress and Trump's White House advisers have attempted to walk back the president's announcement that some 2,000 US troops in Syria would come home within a month, saying the Islamic State is not yet defeated.