WASHINGTON, June 16 (Xinhua) -- The Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq is training and attempting to deploy operatives for further attacks on the West, CIA Director John Brennan told Congress on Thursday, while confirming the Orlando "lone wolf" shooter had no direct links to the extreme group.
"ISIL has a large cadre of Western fighters who could potentially serve as operatives for attacks in the West," Brennan told the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, warning the group may infiltrate refugees into western nations. ISIL is another acronym for the group.
"Unfortunately, despite all our progress against ISIL on the battlefield and in the financial realm, our efforts have not reduced the group's terrorism capability and global reach," said the spy chief.
According to Brennan, the IS has lost "large stretches" of territory in Iraq and Syria but still has about 18,000 to 22,000 fighters there and its branch in Libya is "probably the most developed and the most dangerous," echoing concerns that Libya's close proximity to Europe is a problem.
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