Is The U.S. Exaggerating Islamic State Casualties?

Smoke rises over Syrian town of Kobani after an airstrike, as seen from the Mursitpinar border crossing on the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern town of Suruc in Sanliurfa province, October 18, 2014. Credit: Reuters/Kai Pfaffenbach

Eli Lake & Josh Rogin, Bloomberg: U.S. Exaggerates Islamic State Casualties



The war against the Islamic State has killed thousands of fighters and even some mid-level battlefield commanders, but the organization's senior leadership and nerve center remain largely untouched, according to U.S. military and intelligence officials.


These officials and other experts tracking the terror group tell us that the Islamic State's Shura and Sharia councils, the advisory bodies that help inform the major decisions of the group's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, remain intact, notwithstanding one close call in November for Baghdadi. Although airstrikes and military campaigns have killed several regional administrators and designated “governors,” the Islamic State has quickly replaced them and maintains its command-and-control capabilities.



WNU Editor: In a nutshell .... the U.S. and its allies have not been successful in targeting and killing the key leaders and commanders of the Islamic State. The truth is now coming out, and the evidence is now indicating that the U.S. administrations was initially widely optimistic in assessing their air campaign against the Islamic State.