U.S. Troop Withdrawal from Syria Would Give ISIS New Life: DoD Report

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Arial,Verdana,sans-serif;orphans: 2;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;word-spacing:
0px”>But since then, there have been numerous warnings that while IS may no longer have outright control of territory, its grip on Syria remains strong.

>IS’ “covert network in the Syrian Arab Republic is spreading, and cells are being established at the provincial level,” a United Nations report warned last week, adding the terror group “is adapting, consolidating and creating conditions for eventual resurgence in its Iraqi and Syrian heartland.”

Additionally, U.S. estimates put the number of IS fighters and supporters in Syria and neighboring Iraq at between 14,000 and 18,000.

But U.S. and coalition officials worry the drawdown has made it more difficult for them and for partner forces to keep track of IS activity.

According to the new inspector general report, the U.S. drawdown came as partner forces needed more “training and equipping to build trust with local communities and to develop the human-based intelligence necessary to confront ISIS resurgent cells and insurgent capabilities in Syria.”

Disinformation Campaign
At the same time, officials warn the U.S.-backed SDF is falling victim to a damaging disinformation campaign.

“ISIS has been successful in portraying the SDF as the new occupying force in the area ‘to exploit tension between the Kurdish-led SDF and local Arab residents,’” the inspector general report said, citing an assessment by U.S. Central Command.

Coalition military officials voiced similar concerns, noting Russia, Iran and the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad also “seek to weaken the SDF by leveraging Arab grievances against it, which could result in ‘overall failure to maintain the mission [against ISIS] in Syria.’”

Adding to the concerns, coalition officials said efforts to increase the size of U.S. and coalition-backed forces are falling short.

CJTF-OIR said by the end of June, partner forces had a total of 100,000 troops — 10,000 less than needed.

U.S. officials have been trying to make up for the drawdown of U.S. forces in Syria by securing commitments from allied nations to send additional forces. But officials admit it has been a challenge.

“I would say that we are well on the way to getting formal commitments by a good number of countries, far more than where they are a year ago,” U.S. Special Representative for Syria, Ambassador James Jeffrey, told a security forum last month.

“This will be a satisfactory outcome,” he added.

But even if U.S. allies send more troops to Syria, U.S. officials admitted efforts to keep IS defeated in Iraq are also struggling.

U.S. military officials said IS still retains significant support, especially in northern and western Iraq, where it has been able to recruit and raise money.

The inspector general report cautioned that coalition officials also worry “Iraq lacks hold forces capable of maintaining security in areas cleared of ISIS.”

IS “is able to operate as an insurgency in Iraq and Syria in part because the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) remain unable to sustain long-term operations against ISIS militants,” the report said.

This article is published courtesy of the Voice of America (VOA)