According to a report published by the US Department of Defense, the Islamic State is rapidly returning to its rebel roots, while observers in Iraq and Syria warn that they are detecting a revival of the group.
Four years have passed since the Islamic State - later known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS - conquered much of eastern Syria and more than a third of Iraqi territory. But by the end of 2017, virtually the entire Isis "caliphate" had been obliterated by a "diabolical alliance" of US-backed Iraqi government forces, Iran-backed Shiite militias, Kurdish guerillas and Western air forces.
However, experts warn that despite the loss of territorial control, the Islamic State maintains an active force of at least 30.000 armed fighters in Iraq and Syria. Furthermore, a recent US government report argues that, having been kicked out of nearly all of its detained territory in the past, the Islamic State is promptly "returning to its rebel roots." The report, written by US Department of Defense analysts, said the Sunni militant group is "re-emerging as a guerrilla force." In place of what used to be a state of affairs, "an effective clandestine ISIS organization" now appears to emerge.
The Pentagon document, echoed in an article by the Financial Times on Thursday, appears to be backed up by information coming from the ground in Iraq and Syria. Iraqi military sources told the Times that ISIS appears to have more fighters in its ranks than initially thought, and that the organizational structure of the group that helped it grow in the first place "has not been eliminated."
Also according to the article, the group continues to be financed and its operations remain lethal especially in Iraq, where it continues to undermine the efforts of the government that is trying to improve the security of the country.
According to The Times, Islamic State fighters are systematically targeting regional leaders to prevent the government from providing economic development in Iraq's Sunni-majority western regions. The same tactic was detected in Syria, where the resumption of ISIS activity led to the prolongation of the presence of a US deployment of about 2.000 troops.
Additionally, ISIS fighters frequently cross the Iraq-Syria border and spend much of their time in safe houses and other hiding places. The newspaper quotes Yahya Rasool, spokesman for the Iraqi Army Joint Operations Command, as saying that “our war against ISIS today is an intelligence war, not a military war. We are looking for and plundering their hiding places “.
