WASHINGTON — 13 years after the 2011 United States withdrawal from Iraq, U.S. military personnel remain in Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi government as part of Operation Inherent Resolve.
A new report from the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General on Operation Inherent Resolve sheds light on the current condition and capability of terrorist group ISIS.
The report, published August 1, says "ISIS is on pace to more than double the total number of attacks claimed in 2023, an indication that the group is attempting to reconstitute."
The report noted, the "While coalition forces can disrupt ISIS's capabilities, the coalition cannot resolve the underlying instability that supports ISIS's growth."
"We don't see the ISIS activity at the level it was back at the height of ISIS, but ISIS does continue to remain a threat," said Pentagon Press Secretary Major General Pat Ryder during a press briefing in May.
Ryder said that ISIS is "something that definitely requires keeping an eye on."
He added: "Operation Inherent Resolve remains focused on working as part of an international coalition to address the threat of ISIS and to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS as it relates to Iraq and Syria. So, we'll continue to stay supportive of that as well as working with regional partners to address the threat of ISIS."
Since Operation Inherent Resolve began in 2014, the Pentagon says 23 U.S. military personnel have been killed in hostile activity, and another 93 died in non-hostile activity.
The department says 488 U.S. military members have been wounded.