Islamic State fighters parade on military vehicles along the streets of a northern Raqqa province in Syria. (Reuters)
VOA: New U.S. intelligence estimate sees 20-25K ISIL fighters
WASHINGTON — U.S. intelligence estimates the current strength of the Islamic State's force in Iraq and Syria is between 20,000 and 25,000 fighters. That compares to an estimated 19,000 to 31,000 fighters more than a year ago, as the U.S.-led bombing campaign against the militants got underway, a senior government official said Tuesday.
The official, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to discuss the figures before they are formally released, cautioned that the numbers are a rough estimate.
The new estimate may partly reflect that intelligence analysts initially overestimated the terror group's strengths.
Airstrikes also had an impact on the terror group’s strength, however. An estimated 28,000 Islamic State fighters have been killed by the bombings, according to the U.S.-led coalition. Hundreds more have been killed in ground fighting in Iraq and Syria.
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WNU Editor: The problem in believing these numbers is that they do not add up. A year ago the U.S. estimated there were 19,000 to 31, 000 fighters .... after a year of bombing the Pentagon is claiming that they killed about 28,000 ISIS fighters .... but now we have 20,000 - 25,000 fighters remaining. Bottom line .... U.S. intelligence has no idea on who are they killing, and how many fighters the Islamic State has.