With growing pressure on its activities in Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State's offshoots and affiliates abroad -- especially in Libya -- seem to be increasingly crucial to the group's operations, reports The New York Times. Libya's political turmoil has been and continues to be a key factor in its continued hold on the area:
The leadership of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, is now clenching its grip on Surt so tightly that Western intelligence agencies say they fear the core group may be preparing to fall back to Libya as an alternative base if necessary, a haven where its jihadists could continue to fight from even if it was ousted from its original territories. “Contingency planning,” said a senior Defense Department official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence. Western officials involved in Libya policy say that the United States and Britain have each sent commandos to conduct surveillance and gather intelligence on the ground. Washington has stepped up airstrikes against Islamic State leaders. But military strategists are exasperated by the lack of long-term options to contain the group here.
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