The latest report to Congress from the Pentagon’s lead inspector general warns against declaring premature victory over the remnants of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
“The Defense Intelligence Agency’s analysis for the DoD OIG indicates that without a U.S. troop presence in Iraq, ISIS would likely resurge in Iraq,” writes Glenn Fine, the Pentagon’s inspector general. While noting that the number of ISIS attacks decreased in the last three months of 2019, “ISIS has continued to disseminate its propaganda on Twitter, Facebook, and Telegram, and U.S. Central Command reported that this propaganda revolved around two main themes: ISIS’s persistence in the face of adversity, and retaliation through a global insurgency.”
Not surprisingly, Democrats disputed President Trump’s depiction of a U.S. strategy that is effectively eliminating terrorists and reducing the threat from Iran.
“Rather than strengthening our national security, his reckless decisions in recent months have emboldened our adversaries in Syria and resulted in more than 60 American servicemembers being diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries while doing nothing to restrict Iran’s ability to acquire nuclear weapons,” said Illinois Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth in a statement issued after last night’s State of the Union address.
“For the sake of our national security and the safety of our troops, I sincerely hope that he tones down his rhetoric and replaces his ‘maximum pressure’ strategy for one that recognizes the efficacy — and necessity — of diplomacy,” said Duckworth, a combat veteran and frequent critic of the president.
Read more from our senior writer on defense and national security in today’s edition of Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense.
