Handout / Reuters
The yearlong U.S.-led military campaign against ISIS has failed to weaken the terror group, the AP reported Friday, citing American intelligence agencies. Intelligence analysts said the war against the self-proclaimed Islamic State has reached a stalemate, with the extremists maintaining a well-funded army despite the loss of more than 10,000 fighters. The group has also managed to expand to Libya, Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, and Afghanistan. A Defense Department official told the AP there has been “no meaningful degradation in their numbers,” estimating the terror group’s total numbers reach between 20,000 and 30,000—the same estimate that was given last August, when U.S. airstrikes began. Analysts say it could take 10 years to force ISIS militants from their safe havens under a current campaign that prohibits U.S. troops from accompanying coalition fighters into combat or directing airstrikes from the ground.