The Islamic State has grown larger than al Qaeda ever was, CIA Director John Brennan told senators on Thursday.
“The number of ISIL fighters now exceeds what al Qaeda had at its height,” Brennan said at a hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee. “We’re talking about tens of thousands of individuals.”
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Brennan said that included 18-22,000 in Syria and Iraq; 5-8,000 in Libya; approximately 7,000 spread out in Syria, Libya, and Nigeria; and several hundred each in Egypt, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Brennan described those members as “hardcore fighters, logistics specialists, and others.”
Brennan said Libya was a top concern because of its proximity to Europe, as well as the fact that militants have taken over part of the coast, and Syria, which he called a “virulent cocktail of actors.”
However, he added that Syrian President Bashar Assad had strengthened his position compared to the infancy of the country’s insurgency. “A year ago he was on his back foot,” Brennan said. “As a result of Russian military intervention, he is in a stronger position than he was in June of last year.”
