Islamic State exploits economic downturn in Iraq, Syria, US envoy says

John Godfrey said the thousands of suspected Islamic State fighters held in northeast Syria constitute a security threat to the region.
US Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter gunners scan the desert while transporting troops on May 26, 2021, over northeastern Syria. US forces coordinate with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in combatting residual ISIS extremists.
US Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter gunners scan the desert while transporting troops on May 26, 2021, over northeastern Syria. US forces coordinate with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in combatting residual ISIS extremists. - John Moore/Getty Images
Al Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East
Al-Monitor Staff

The Islamic State (IS) is trying to take advantage of deteriorating economic conditions in Iraq and Syria to reconstitute itself, said the State Department’s envoy to the US-led coalition battling the group.

“One thing I heard consistently in both Iraq and Syria is that poverty, inequality and perceived injustice continue to drive many young people to join terrorist groups, including [IS],” John Godfrey, acting US Special Envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, told reporters on Thursday.

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