IS could retake territory in months if left alone, Pentagon said to warn

A Pentagon report reportedly warned that the Islamic State could take back territory it lost to coalition forces in six months to a year if military pressure is lifted on the jihadist group.

The Islamic State is determined to rebuild its caliphate on the ground, and with areas of Syria still lawless and uncontrolled, the group could take back land quickly if left alone, ABC News reported on Friday.

The warning was part of a Department of Defense quarterly report on Operation Inherent Resolve, covering October 1 to December 31, and is expected to be released next week.

Defense Department officials refused to comment on the report, which was based on information provided by the US military, government agencies and other reports.

The terror group has lost almost all the territory that once made up its self-proclaimed caliphate, and now only controls a narrow strip of land less than 10 kilometers across in the Euphrates River Valley.

On December 19, US President Trump announced on Twitter that US troops would withdraw from Syria, saying that the Islamic State had been defeated.

The announcement was met with fierce criticism and led to Jim Mattis’s resignation as defense secretary in protest.

The withdrawal sparked fears in Israel that it would allow Iran to further entrench itself in Syria, and open a corridor between the Islamic Republic and its ally Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Israel’s Channel 10 news reported that Netanyahu tried in vain to persuade Trump to change his mind about the withdrawal, and that there was tremendous “disappointment” in Jerusalem over the pullout, which is regarded as a victory for Russia, Iran and Hezbollah.

Previously, Trump had won praise from Israel and Israel supporters for his Middle East policies, including moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, renouncing the nuclear agreement with Iran and blocking UN resolutions condemning Israel.

Trump was harshly criticized for abandoning the US’s Kurdish allies by withdrawing, with critics charging he exposed the nascent Kurdish state to attacks by Turkey. Last month, Trump threatened Turkey with economic sanctions if it attacked the Kurds.

On Thursday, the Senate voted to oppose the withdrawal of troops from Syria and Afghanistan in a bipartisan reproach of Trump. The Senate amendment said that Islamic State and Al-Qaeda still pose a threat to US interests and that a US withdrawal would “allow terrorists to regroup, destabilize critical regions and create vacuums that could be filled by Iran or Russia.”

There are around 3,000 troops currently stationed in Syria. Logistical and security personnel moved in recently to aid with the withdrawal.