The Pentagon said yesterday that the US has carried out about 160 airstrikes against the Islamic State in Iraq over the last month, and that it is preparing to “to be more aggressive going forward” in the US counterterrorism campaign. The Pentagon also plans to oversee training of some 5,000 Syrian rebels in Saudi Arabia over the next 12 months. US officials are concerned about possible collaboration between AQAP, al Qaeda operatives in Syria, and Western jihadists who may be jointly planning attacks against the West.
