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US soldiers in the Manbij region of Syria on November 1, 2018 (image for illustration). Zoe Garbarino / US Army / Handout via REUTERS

The Islamic State (IS) group is " resurging " in Syria even as the US withdraws its troops from the country, a Pentagon inspector general said in a report on Tuesday (August 6th).

" Even though it has lost its territorial" caliphate ", the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has boosted its insurgency capabilities in Iraq and resumed operations in Syria this quarter, " says a Pentagon document. The EI group was able to " consolidate and support operations " in both countries partly because local forces " remain unable to maintain long-term operations, conduct operations simultaneously, or keep the territory they have cleared. Can still be seen in this document.

Resurgence and withdrawal

The resurgence of the group in Syria occurred when Washington " partially withdrawn " from the country, a decision taken against the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which demanded " more training and equipment for counter-insurgency operations ".

President Donald Trump announced the end of 2018 the withdrawal of most of the approximately 2,000 US troops in northeastern Syria, proclaiming a total victory against the jihadist organization, a decision that pushed his defense minister , Jim Mattis, to resign.

A region not controlled by Syria

Some US troops have remained in northeastern Syria, a region not controlled by President Bashar al-Assad's regime, and Washington is seeking increased military support from other members of the international coalition against the group EI. The latter claims that the jihadist organization probably still has between 14,000 and 18,000 " members " in Iraq and Syria, including up to 3,000 foreigners, according to the report.

( with AFP )