Pentagon report says ISIS is 're-surging in Syria'
Source: CNN
Washington (CNN) — ISIS is "re-surging" in Syria less than five months after President Donald Trump declared the terror group's caliphate there had been 100% defeated, according to a new Pentagon inspector general's report on the fight against ISIS.
"Despite losing its territorial 'caliphate,' the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) solidified its insurgent capabilities in Iraq and was re-surging in Syria," the report, which was published on Tuesday, warned.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly touted his administration's role in driving the terror group from areas under its territorial control, telling a Cabinet meeting last month, "We did a great job with the caliphate. We have 100% of the caliphate, and we're rapidly pulling out of Syria." But the new report said the partial withdrawal of some US troops from Syria has already impacted the fight against the remnants of ISIS, making it harder to advise local allies on the ground and depriving the US of the ability to monitor areas that are described as potential recruiting zones that would allow the group to replenish its ranks.
The report, from the lead inspector general for Operation Inherent Resolve, the official name for the US-led operation fighting ISIS, covers the period April 1 to June 30, 2019.
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By Ryan Browne, CNN
Updated 2300 GMT (0700 HKT) August 6, 2019
Read more: https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/06/politics/pentagon-report-isis-syria/index.html
Related: Operation Inherent Resolve, Report to the United States Congress, April 1, 2019-June 30, 2019
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