IS influence in Syria increases, with Turkish action and US withdrawal -

Washington/Ankara/Damascus: The US defence department warned that the terrorist organisation IS has taken big advantage of the Turkish action in northeast Syria and the US military withdrawal from this region and this terrorist organisation is once again acquiring the capability of launching terror attacks in the western countries. The agency ‘Office of Inspector General’ of the US defence department issued this warning. The agency claimed that the death of the former chief Al Baghdadi has not affected the capabilities of the terrorist organisation.

Turkey started an action under the name of Operation Peace Spring in northern Syria. During the action, tank and fighter-jet attacks were launched on the Syrian Kurds. Thereafter, the Kurds withdrew from certain regions and these regions have been taken over by Turkey and Russia. The US military units withdrew from the region, given the Turkish action.

US President Donald Trump had ordered the US military regarding this. But all the US soldiers will not be leaving this region and more than 600 soldiers will remain in the region. The United States has clearly indicated that its military units will be ready for the conflict against the IS.

The US defence department report notes that despite this, the terrorist organisation has taken massive advantage of the US military withdrawal and the Turkish action. Office of the Inspector General clarified that these observations are based on the information received from ‘Defence Intelligence Agency’, another agency of the US defence department. The US agency warned that the IS has started fresh recruitments and this organisation can become fully operational.

Last month, US and British officials had expressed fears regarding IS, after Turkey initiated its action in Syria. The military officials had claimed that the IS influence in this region would increase, once again, because of this Turkish action undertaken without seeking cooperation from any other country. The officials also pointed out that the 11,000 IS terrorists in Kurdish custody could become operational once again.

A few days ago, a senior Kurdish commander had pointed to the increasing IS threat, while the Turkish action was still going on. General Mazloom Koben, who accused Turkey of trying to set the IS terrorists free, warned that the threat of terrorist attacks in the western countries has increased substantially.