This is a problem that is off the charts historically, just put that into perspective: It's about twice the number that went into Afghanistan in the 1980s over a 10-year period to fight the Soviet Union, and those came really from only a handful of countries.

Brett McGurk

Categorized in : Top News

The conditions are now being set for the liberation of Mosul. by Brett McGurk

The conditions are now being set for the liberation of Mosul.

The philosophy here, and it's the government of Iraq's philosophy... by Brett McGurk

The philosophy here, and it's the government of Iraq's philosophy, is decentralization.

The liberation of Mosul is now in sight. by Brett McGurk

The liberation of Mosul is now in sight.

So long as Assad is leading the government in Damascus there is n... by Brett McGurk

So long as Assad is leading the government in Damascus there is no way this war will ever end.

We're beginning to totally isolate their presence in Raqqa and Mosul and I believe we are setting the conditions in place to get them out of both of these cities.

Right now we want to end the war in Yemen in order to really focus efforts on the counter-ISIL campaign.

I have not seen a significant change in Iranian behavior ... They are primarily working to prop up the Assad regime.

The Manbij operation, it's ongoing on right now, it's hard fighting, once that is done, that sets the conditions for Raqqa.

We will be beginning over the coming weeks and months a pressure campaign on Raqqa in all its aspects.

There is constant synchronized pressure. by Brett McGurk

There is constant synchronized pressure.

Our progress will not always be linear, and we should expect setb... by Brett McGurk

Our progress will not always be linear, and we should expect setbacks and surprises.

What Russia is doing is directly enabling ISIL. by Brett McGurk

What Russia is doing is directly enabling ISIL.

(If) this is a situation which we knew Bob Levinson was in a prison cell in Iran, I think you know we'd have a different outcome here, that's something that we can't confirm. In fact, it appears that he's not being held in Iran. But we have this formal, now process, with Iran to continue discussing that case in a very aggressive and vigorous way, and that's something that we will continue to do.

We're not going to be satisfied until we have destroyed this orga... by Brett McGurk

We're not going to be satisfied until we have destroyed this organization.

Long-term we are going to degrade and defeat this organization, but we have been clear from day one it's going to take a long time.

We have a lot of tools to protect ourselves and our national security interests, some of which are military tools, of course we apply those tools when the president determines and our chain of command makes the recommendation that that is the right thing to do.

We are helping to enable and train (them) as they begin to go on the offensive over the coming weeks and months in Anbar.

ISIL's offensive has been halted, its ability to mass and maneuver forces degraded, its leadership cells pressured or eliminated.