Where are they going?: Number of ISIS fighters in Syria heavily drop

The number of ISIS militants swarming Syria and Iraq is believed to have dropped from 19,000 to 25,000 fighters to 20,000 to 31,500, according to White House spokesman Josh Earnest. However, as the number of fighters lower in that area, it is doubling in Libya.

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LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - "ISIS is investing heavily in Libya," one U.S. official said, according to CNN.

According to several U.S. intelligence officials, the U.S. estimates there could now be up to 6,500 ISIS militants in Libya. The reason behind the rapid increase is attributed to ISIS diverting fighters from Syria and from Turkey when they cannot reach Syria.

"ISIS is expanding its reach in many regions," concerned Speaker Paul Ryan said, according to The Washington Times. "This [Libya] is one of the most troubling ones. That is why we have to have a comprehensive strategy. This isn't just a one-off thing. We have to have a comprehensive strategy to defeat ISIS."

According to Ryan, the national defense authorization bill, passed last year by Congress, requires administration  to "devise a comprehensive plan to defeat the Islamic State.'

"We have yet to see that from the president."
    
"We've been mindful of this risk for more than a year and half now," stated Earnest, downplaying reports of making Libya a new "second front" against ISIS, according to the Washington Times. "We're going to continue to be prepared to take action. But we know they are focused on expanding ISIL's footprint in Iraq and Syria."

"As we apply significant pressure on them there [Syria], we'll make it harder for them to capitalize on political instability in other places," he stated.

Officials who reported the increase emphasize the numbers are estimates and made up of "best guesses with low confidence." 

"ISIL [ISIS] is having a more difficult time than they've had before in replenishing their ranks," Earnest told reporters, according to CNN. "The reason the numbers inside Iraq and Syria are encouraging is that the numbers are moving in the right direction."

In December, President Barack Obama did speak on the possibility of Libya becoming "another Syria," but in doing so, he said the U.S. prevented this by participating in the 2011 coalition airstrikes that "helped to topple the regime of Muammar Qaddafi."

"We're going to continue to watch how the threat in Libya evolves," stated Earnest. However, the possibility of the U.S. opening a second front in Libya to conquer ISIS remains small.

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