Posted on 04/28/2016 12:10:33 AM PDT by nickcarraway
A senior U.S. military official on Tuesday said Islamic State recruitment has decreased from up to 2,000 foreign fighters per month last year down to 200 a month as the Islamist militant group's financial structure has been decimated.
"When I first got here, we were seeing somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 foreign fighters entering the fight. Now that we've been fighting this enemy for a year, our estimates are down to around 200" in both Iraq and Syria, Air Force Maj. Gen. Peter Gersten said from Baghdad during a teleconference. "We're actually seeing an increase in the desertion rates in these fighters. We're seeing a fracture in their morale. We're seeing their inability to pay."
Gersten said the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State has focused on destroying banks, bulk cash facilities and oil refineries. In total, Gersten said estimates demonstrate the Islamic State has lost from $300 million to $800 million in the U.S.-coalition attacks.
"Their ability to keep track of their taxes ... and to oppress their people has been destroyed," Gersten said, adding that one airstrike operation destroyed a bulk cash facility that held an estimated $150 million.
Gersten said the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, ISIL and Daesh, has been severely demoralized amid the coalition's efforts led on the ground in Iraq by the Iraqi security forces and in Syria by rebel groups, including the Kurdish Peshmerga.
"We're seeing the morale of the enemy beginning to deteriorate at a fairly increasing rate. As we went further out to the Euphrates River Valley, we saw Daesh trying to defect coming into playing themselves as refugees, playing themselves dressed as women. That's the kind of cowardice we're dealing with," Gersten said. "We are seeing ... that Daesh cannot pay their foreign fighters. They are trading vehicles now for pay. Some fighters aren't being paid at all is what we're seeing. We see them generally digging ... into the fabric of society and wrap themselves around civilians because that's the kind of cancer they are."
Trump affect
The Democrats are conserving their cash for the primaries. They will be back soon enough giving money to ISIS.
I am looking for reports of the B-52’s we sent into theater being used . How and when and what results so far ?
Considering the US military is saying this, under Obama, it is probably lies.
It would be nice if ISIS would draw all the radical Muslims out of Europe to fight and die on the battlefields of Iraq and Syria. I wonder how many Muslims would be left if that happened.
I was thinking the same thing, when I red "A senior U.S. military official".
We can start with the fact that it was the Russians that actually hurt ISIS, while US forces are there for what are essentially P.R. purposes.
no, Russia affect. Your really believe him? and if it is true it was because they didn’t want to look like fools compared to russia.
love trump but let’s not get crazy.
They breed like cockroaches, so it would be tough to get rid of them altogether.
Trump said go after their oil and finances well before anyone did. Simple fact.
Its not about the money for jihadis, the salaries they got at isis peak was 400-1200 bucks a month so i highly doubt anybody would risk his life and limbs to get into Syria for 1200 bucks a month
Isis narrative has been challanged , there motto is “remaning and expanding” .
Its hard to claim you are on god side when you have not had a major military victory for a year and you keep losing controls of cities and areas to the Kurdish militias
... radical Muslims?
Is there any other kind?
There are many kinds:
ISIS - Muslim terrorists
Al Qaeda - Muslim extremists
Abu Sayyaf - Muslim murderers
Al Aqsa - Muslim thugs
Al Nusra - Muslim killers
Al Shabaab - orthodox Muslims
Ansar al Islam - mainstream Muslims
Boko Haram - conservative Muslims
Islamic Jihad - modern Muslims
Hamas - reform Muslims
Hezbollah - Muslim rapists
Islamic Jihad - secular Muslims
Muslim Brotherhood - Muslim torturers
Barack Obama's Administration and Minions - Muslim traitors
People's Mujahedin - open-minded Muslims
It would be hard to enumerate all the ways in which Islam affects our daily lives. Isn't the diversity of the Islamic World grand?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.