Declassified report shows US predictions of IS group threat

By NOMAAN MERCHANT
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A newly declassified U.S. intelligence report predicted in 2020 that the Islamic State group was likely to regain much of its former strength and global influence, particularly if American and Western forces reduced their role in countering the extremist movement. The Islamic State group is no longer controlling huge swaths of territory or staging attacks in the United States as it did several years ago before a major U.S.-led offensive. But analysts said Thursday many of the judgments in the 2-year-old report appear prescient today, particularly as the group is resurgent in Afghanistan following President Joe Biden’s withdrawal of American forces last year.