Back in December, President Donald Trump claimed ISIS was defeated and started pulling troops from Syria. Now the terrorist organization is making a comeback, according to a report from The New York Times.
U.S. and Iraq military and intelligence sources told the Times ISIS has been gaining strength in Iraq and Syria. Sources told the outlet the terrorist group has been practicing guerrilla warfare, adding new recruits and have about $400 million hidden away.
Almost two weeks ago, the Pentagon warned of an ISIS resurgence in Syria, attributing the comeback to "the reduction of U.S. forces."
And earlier this week, ISIS claimed responsibility for a bombing on a wedding in Kabul that killed 63 people and injured nearly 200 others.
The White House has yet to confirm the allegations in the Times report. When Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was asked on "CBS This Morning" if ISIS was gaining strength, he answered, "It's complicated."
Pompeo added, "There's certainly places where ISIS is more powerful today than they were three or four years ago. But the caliphate is gone and their capacity to conduct external attacks has been made much more difficult."
The New York Times reports there could be as many as 18,000 ISIS fighters in the two Middle Eastern countries.
Additional reporting from Newsy affiliate CNN.
