CIA Director, John Brennan said Monday in an interview with Fox News that Islamic State (IS) militants have lost their momentum in Iraq and Syria, however their affiliates "throughout the entire region" are a major cause for concern. "Clearly, ISIS momentum inside Iraq and Syria has been blunted and it has been stopped," Brennan explained, "Our work with the Iraqis and the Iraqis now trying to push back against it, it is having some great, I think, progress," he added. However, last week's attacks in Tunisia and Yemen, which IS claimed responsibility for, are examples that "these franchises are blowing up in Libya and other areas," Brennan said. He added, "This is something that clearly is not just restricted to Iraq and Syria. So, we cannot relent. We have to continue working with our partners in the region." The U.S. coalition has been targeting several locations of IS with air strikes since September 2014, meanwhile, Iraqi forces have recently regained key strategic cities from the group insurgents.
