US Intel to Obama:IS Grows, Spreads Worldwide; IS Must Lose Most Land in Iraq, Syria to Defeat It

A recent U.S. intelligence report on ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) -- commissioned by the White House -- reveals that the self-proclaimed Islamic State will spread worldwide and grow in numbers, unless it suffers a significant loss of terrritory on the battlefield in Iraq and Syria, The Daily Beast website reports today (December 7, 2015).

The report -- released shortly before the recent terrorist killings of 130 people in Paris --  stands in stark contrast to earlier White House assurances that ISIS had been "contained" in Iraq and Syria. Moreover, it is initiating changes in U.S. military procedures, resulting in the U.S. implementing a more aggressive military strategy against ISIS.

The report is also a tacit admission that coalition efforts so far -- dropping thousands of bombs on ISIS and deploying U.S. and coalition trainers -- have been outpaced by ISIS' ability to expand and attract new followers.

The fact is that ISIS has expanded its control of territory in both Iraq and Syria during the past year -- despite a plethora of U.S. and coalition bombings -- and ISIS recently gained control of the strategic oil-rich city of Sirte on the Mediterranean coast of Libya.