U.S. intelligence agencies are reportedly 'reassessing' the characterisation of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) as a 'regional threat' in the wake of the three deadly attacks that rocked Tunisia, France and Kuwait on 'Black Friday.'
U.S.' top intelligence officer had told Congress earlier this year that the ISIS was only a 'regional threat' and planned to target regional allies, Western facilities, and personnel in the Middle East. General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had then downplayed the threat posed by the outfit by describing ISIS as a product of an "internal conflict, internal to Islam," reported Politico.
However, three attacks conducted by Islamist militants on three continents yesterday, hailed by ISIS sympathisers as 'Bloody Friday,' have compelled the Pentagon, CIA and other agencies to review the terror group's reach, ambitions and the threat posed by it and its supporters to the U.S.
The National Counterterrorism Centre (NCTC) is reportedly working with the CIA to determine the extent to which the three attacks were coordinated by ISIS leaders.
However, U.S. officials and experts noted that even if the deadly attacks were carried out by 'lone wolves' in the name of the ISIS, the revelation could be a 'game changer' for the Obama administration's strategy to tackle the group.
