Islamic State Resilient as Ever in Iraq, Syria

WASHINGTON - Intelligence agencies studying the fate of the Islamic State in Iraq fear the terror group is not going anywhere, even as U.S. combat forces in the country prepare to "recede deep into the background" and leave the brunt of the work to Iraqi forces. "Such attacks indicate that some #ISIL fighters remain sheltered in the #Hamrin mountain range & continue to exploit security gaps & inefficient security coordination in some areas of these governorates" per @UN report NEW: #Iraq says it has killed the leader of #ISIS in Iraq, Abu Hassan al-GharibawiPrime Minister @MAKadhimi says al-Gharibawi & another ISIS who helped transport suicide bombers were killed in an operation Tuesday pic.twitter.com/H846e1H5Qn Intel from @UN member states finds significant decline in #ISIS financesISIS now thought to have btw $25 million & $50 million, down from hundreds of millions of dollars just a few years ago

The assessment is one of the key findings in a report released by the United Nation's sanctions monitoring team, which warns that despite setbacks, IS, also known as ISIS or ISIL, is poised to be a problem for some time to come in Iraq and in neighboring Syria, as well. "The group has evolved into an entrenched insurgency, exploiting weaknesses in local security to find safe havens and targeting forces engaged in counter-ISIL operations," according to the report released Friday, which was based on member state intelligence. "Attacks in Baghdad in January and April 2021 underscore the group's resilience despite heavy counter-terrorism pressure from Iraqi authorities," the report added. IS "is likely to continue attacking civilians and other soft targets in the capital whenever possible to garner media attention and embarrass the Government of Iraq."