| Supplemental Info:
The comments from Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Dan Coats come this morning during the annual Worldwide Threat Assessment testimony before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
[Note that the following snippets come from the UNCLASSIFIED, open testimony.]
"Global jihadists in dozens of groups and countries threaten local and regional US interests, despite having experienced some significant setbacks in recent years, and some of these groups will remain intent on striking the US homeland. Prominent jihadist ideologues and media platforms continue to call for and justify efforts to attack the US homeland."
"The conflicts in Iraq and Syria have generated a large pool of battle-hardened fighters with the skills to conduct attacks and bolster terrorist groups capabilities."
"ISIS still commands thousands of fighters in Iraq and Syria, and it maintains eight branches, more than a dozen networks, and thousands of dispersed supporters around the world, despite significant leadership and territorial losses."
"ISIS very likely will continue to pursue external attacks from Iraq and Syria against regional and Western adversaries, including the United States."
"Al-Qaida senior leaders are strengthening the network’s global command structure and continuing to encourage attacks against the West, including the United States..."
"Al-Qaida media continues to call for attacks against the United States, including in statements from regional al-Qaida leaders, reflecting the network’s enduring efforts to pursue or inspire attacks in the West.
"Despite territorial losses in Iraq and Syria, ISIS’s past actions and propaganda probably will inspire future homegrown violent extremists attacks, similar to the enduring influence of deceased al-Qaida ideologues, especially if ISIS can retain its prominence among global jihadist movements and continue to promote its violent message via social and mainstream media."
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