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The Effects of Iraq Fighting on ISIS in Syria
(Washington Institute for Near East Policy) Jeffrey White - In the near term, ISIS' image as an irresistible force will be enhanced by its campaign in Iraq. Yet the Iraq campaign is believed to have diverted half or more of the group's roughly 10,000 members in Syria. ISIS may be compelled to commit even more forces to Iraq, weakening its military position in Syria. The large amount of Iraqi territory over which the group has gained at least nominal control might also require additional forces from Syria, both to resist government countermeasures and help control the areas. The writer is a defense fellow at The Washington Institute and a former senior defense intelligence officer.