TEMPO.CO, Washington - The number of Islamic State members is currently predicted to reach 20,000 to 31,500 people. The number is much higher compared to a previous estimation made by The US Central Intelligence Agency.
"Among those in Syria are 15,000 foreign fighters including 2,000 westerners," a US intelligence official told AFP on Thursday, September 11, 2014, as cited by Al Jazeera.
The CIA revealed the figure one day after Brack Obama promised to escalate the attack against IS movement.
"This new total reflects an increase in members because of stronger recruitment since June following battlefield successes and the declaration of a caliphate, greater battlefield activity, and additional intelligence," Ryan Trapani, CIA Spokesperson, said in a statement as quoted by Al Jazeera.
The Islamic State group has taken control of most parts of Iraq and Syria. The group's brutal campaign has included beheadings of rivals and killings of hundreds of members of Iraqi minorities. In recent weeks, the Islamic State has released videos of two American journalists decapitated in Syria.
AL JAZEERA | CHOIRUL
