Defense Dept inspector general says ISIS likely to "resurge" without "sustained pressure"

UPDATED ON: FEBRUARY 4, 2019 / 12:08 PM / CBS NEWS

The U.S. military believes that "absent sustained pressure" on the Islamic State, ISIS could re-emerge in Syria within six to 12 months, according to a new Department of Defense Inspector General report on Operation Inherent Resolve.

According to the Pentagon, while U.S.-backed Syrian forces have continued the fight to retake the remaining ISIS strongholds in Syria, ISIS remains a "potent force of battle-hardened and well-disciplined fighters that could likely resurge in Syria absent continued counterterrorism pressure," the report reads.

Read the report here:

The report notes that currently ISIS is "regenerating key functions and capabilities more quickly in Iraq than Syria." ISIS also retains the ability to coordinate offensives and counteroffensives. And it is able to operate despite its lost territory, as a "decentralized insurgency," the report says.

The administration policy is to maintain pressure on ISIS, even with the withdrawal of American troops. President Trump announced in December that the military would withdraw from Syria, but according to the Defense Department, approximately 2,000 ISIS fighters remained where U.S. forced had previously been operating.

ISIS fighters in that region were described by operation officials as "battle-experienced, hardened and well disciplined."

-snip-