WASHINGTON (AFP)— Mas malaking banta ang Islamic State kaysa isang conventional “terrorist group” at nilalayong baguhin ang mukha ng Middle East, sinabi ng US defense leaders noong Huwebes.

Ang IS jihadists ay maaaring masukol at kalaunan ay maigapi ng local forces sa tulong ng United States, ngunit kailangang itakwil ng mga Sunni kapwa sa Syria at Iraq ang grupo, sinabi nina Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel at General Martin Dempsey sa mamamahayag.

Nagbabala si Hagel na ang Islamic State ay mas magaganda ang armas, mas matindi ang pagsasanay at pinondohan kaysa alinmang bantang militante.

“They marry ideology and a sophistication of strategic and tactical military prowess. They are tremendously well funded. This is beyond anything we have seen,” ani Hagel sa isang news conference.

Sinabi ni Dempsey, chairman ng Joint Chiefs of Staff, na ang grupo ay may fanatical ideology at “long-term vision” na sakupin ang Lebanon, Israel at Kuwait. “If they achieve that vision, it would fundamentally alter the face of the Middle East and create a security environment that would certainly threaten us in many ways,” aniya.