ISIS is working to send its fighters to the West, warned CIA Director John Brennan on Capitol Hill, June 16.
As pressure mounts on Islamic State, the terrorist group will rely on guerrilla tactics and “intensify its global campaign” through high profile attacks like the ones in Brussels and Paris—which the CIA believes were directed by Islamic State leaders.
Brennan said ISIS has been working to build an apparatus to direct and inspire attacks outside Iraq and Syria.
His testimony before U.S. senators comes after a terror attack in Orlando’s Pulse nightclub, in which Omar Mateen pledged allegiance to ISIS while shooting and killing 49 people and injuring dozens. Brennan said the CIA has not found a link between Mateen and a foreign terrorist organization, despite Mateen’s pledge during the attack.
Brennan said ISIS' finances have been squeezed, while less fighters are traveling to Syria, and militants are becoming disillusioned with the group, but that the organization remains a threat.
Although ISIS has lost ground in Syria and Iraq, Brennan said the organization is “resilient” and will “regain momentum.”
