The
US anti-ISIS envoy said the campaign has winnowed ISIS' ranks to
between 12,000 and 15,000 "battle ready" fighters, a top US official
said on Tuesday.
The
figures mean the US and its coalition partners have taken out vastly
more ISIS fighters in Iraq and Syria than currently remain on the
battlefield, two years since the bombing campaign began. Last week a US
official said the coalition had killed 50,000 militants since 2014.
But
it's also clear Obama will depart office without fully quashing the
terror group, leaving a still-significant battle for Donald Trump when
he becomes commander in chief in January.
Speaking
at the White House Tuesday, Brett McGurk, the US special envoy to the
anti-ISIS coalition, said the terror group is no longer able to
replenish its ranks, predicting the number of fighters would continue to
dwindle.
"The number of
battle-ready fighters inside Iraq and Syria is now at its lowest point
that it's ever been," McGurk said, describing the update he gave the
President to reporters after the meeting. He noted that the flow of
foreign fighters to ISIS had been stemmed by tighter surveillance and
border controls.
President Barack Obama
was updated on the ISIS battle by McGurk and other US officials in the
White House Situation Room Tuesday. The US and regional forces are
currently waging a battle for the Iraqi city of Mosul, where additional
gains against ISIS are expected, though McGurk declined to provide a
timeline for the conclusion of that offensive.
The
air campaign, led by the US and begun in 2014, has conducted 17,000
strikes against ISIS targets, McGurk said. The vast majority were
conduced by US planes; only 4,500 were carried out by other members of
the coalition.
The most recent targets included
three ISIS leaders
the US says were responsible for planning attacks in Paris and Brussels
last year. They were taken out in Raqqa, ISIS' self-described capital
in Syria.
Attempts
to take out ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi have fallen short,
however. McGurk insisted Baghdadi, who hasn't been seen publicly in
several years but released an audio message last month, was
demonstrating deep vulnerability.
"Issuing
audiotapes deep in hiding is not really a sign of a confident leader,
particularly in today's media age," McGurk said. "So eventually, we will
find and eliminate him as well, but the leadership ranks continue to
diminish."
As Obama prepares to hand the anti-ISIS mission to Trump, McGurk noted it's only the second wartime transition in 40 years.
"It's
complex," he said. "The direction very clearly from President Obama is
to make sure were doing all we can to ensure it can be a seamless
transition."
He indicated there
were "constant transition meetings going on, particularly in the State
Department" to discuss the ISIS battle.
Tuesday's Situation Room discussion also covered the
dire humanitarian crisis in Aleppo,
where Syrian government forces are poised to retake the city after a
brutal crackdown on rebels. The fighting has prompted tens of thousands
of civilian residents to flee.
Obama
"directed his team to take all steps, in concert with allies and
partners, to deescalate the violence, push for humanitarian access, and
for an opportunity for those trapped in the besieged city to be allowed a
safe egress, if desired," according to a description of his meeting
released by the White House.
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