WASHINGTON — Still a threat!
That's the word from top US leaders when it comes to the subject of ISIS.
The Strategic Studies Institute at the United States Army War College says the Islamic State is a "persistent threat" in Libya and could rise again. A Pentagon Inspector General report also concludes that NATO ally Turkey is a "major hub" for ISIS militants.
American leaders talked about the possibility of an ISIS resurgence during a virtual round-table discussion on Wednesday.
"Our assessment is, it is a threat but it isn't an increasing threat," said Ambassador William Roebuck, Deputy Special Envoy to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. "It has some capabilities but far weaker than it used to have."
Roebuck added, "ISIS remains a significant threat, and that's why the military presence is still there and that's why the coalition remains engaged, to prevent ISIS from resurging."
U.S. Central Command General Kenneth McKenzie said the United States "is going to have huge problems with a massive ISIS resurgence" over the coming decades, unless a new international plan is put forward to deradicalize young men and women in the Middle East.
McKenzie said he worries a massive refugee camp in northern Syria holding families of former Islamic State fighters could be a breeding ground for future terrorists, calling the issue one of his chief concerns.