A fighter of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) holds an ISIL flag and a weapon on a street in the city of Mosul, June 23, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer
NBC: Iraqis fear defeated Islamic State could make a comeback
"It’s a dynamic organization, it can understand what the main grievances are and try to act as a representative for these disenfranchised populations."
A little more than a year after Baghdad declared victory over the Islamic State group, many of its former supporters still walk the streets freely and Iraqis fear the militants might attempt a comeback.
President Donald Trump made a surprise visit to Iraq Wednesday amid criticism of his decision to withdraw American troops from neighboring Syria, a move which prompted the resignations of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Brett McGurk, the U.S. special envoy for the coalition to defeat ISIS.
Trump said that he had no plans to remove U.S. troops from Iraq but warned "the United States cannot continue to be the policeman of the world."
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo previously assured Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi that the U.S. is still committed to supporting the fight against ISIS in the country.
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WNU Editor: The history of the Middle East has always been one of conflicts and wars that come and go. The Sunni - Shiite conflict is one that goes back almost 1,300 years .... so in my opinion these Iraqi concerns are justified. Many Islamic State leaders did survive, and many fighters were not killed. The war also revealed strong support within the Sunni community for ISIS, support that I suspect is still there. And while it may take a while for ISIS to reconstitute itself, what will help their return is the lack of political will among all parties for reconciliation and compromise. I give it a few more years before the terror attacks return, and the return of low intensity warfare.