ISIS militants in Iraq and Syria now have about 20,000 to 31,500 fighters on the ground, the Central Intelligence Agency said on Thursday, much higher than a previous estimate of 10,000. Among those in Syria are 15,000 foreign fighters including 2,000 Westerners, some of whom have joined ISIS, a US intelligence official said.“CIA assesses the ISIS can muster between 20,000 and 31,500 fighters across Iraq and Syria, based on a new review of all-source intelligence reports from May to August,” CIA spokesman Ryan Trapani said in a statement.
“This new total reflects an increase in members because of stronger recruitment since June following battlefield successes and the declaration of a caliphate, greater battlefield activity, and additional intelligence,” he said.
Senior US officials have voiced concern at the presence of foreign fighters among the extremists who hold Western passports, potentially enabling them to return from the battlefield prepared to carry out terror attacks in Europe or the United States.
| There's simple ways to fix that... |
| Only if he turns that authorization on its head. That resolution was about al-Qaeda, Afghanistan and 9/11. The 2002 Iraq War resolution was about Saddam Hussein. I applaud and support going after ISIS even though I don't think Champ has a clue how to do it. But we need (especially with Champ in charge) a new authorizing resolution from the Congress. I'd say we put the resolution forward in the second week of October and see who votes for it. I'm sure the Pubs will... |
Also on Thursday the Pentagon announced that US combat aircraft will soon start flying out of a base in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq as part of a “more aggressive” air campaign against ISIS militants.