Operation Roundup’s escalating efforts to target ISIS remnants in Syria through June have left the terrorist group demoralized, and more Iraqi citizens are returning home to reclaimed land among the country’s western border with Syria, according to the July Terror Threat Snapshot.
The U.S. House Homeland Security Committee’s monthly assessment of counter-terrorism efforts notes that there were 225 coalition partner strikes on ISIS targets under Operation Roundup in May. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Army Col. Thomas Veale recently highlighted the impact on the region.
“That’s a 304 percent increase over March and a 123 percent increase over April strikes,” Veale said. “We and our partners have pounded ISIS remnants from the ground and air in relentless pursuit of their leaders and fighters.”
The Terror Threat Snapshot also notes that Russia reportedly provided documentation allowing men who had become radicalized to leave the country, primarily traveling to Turkey. The Federal Security Service facilitated the operation to remove experienced terrorists from the country, which “could explain the less sophisticated, single-actor attacks that Russia has seen in recent years,” the snapshot concludes.
The assessment also notes that Europol released its annual Terrorism Situation and Trend Report, which found an “increase in frequency of jihadist attacks with a decrease in sophistication; homegrown terrorists being the primary perpetrators of terror attacks; and the vital role that online propaganda and social media play in terror recruitment, radicalization, and fundraising.”
The Terror Threat Snapshot also noted that June 3 marked the one-year anniversary of the London Bridge terror attack that left eight people wounded and 48 injured when terrorists attacked crowds with vans and knives. The city of London held a moment of silence to mark the occasion.