The U.S. director of national intelligence says the Islamic State group remains a threat despite its recent defeats in Syria and Iraq.
Dan Coats told a gathering of world leaders, diplomats and defense officials at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday that defeating the extremist group was like "killing an octopus."
Coats said: "It's more than just a terrorist organization. It is an ideology and perhaps a theology, and the combination of ideology and theology outlasts defeats on the battlefield."
He says it's not currently clear whether "we've done enough to keep ISIS from reconstituting, or if we're just in a moment of pause while they're regrouping."
Coats says the current assessment is it "will remain a threat."
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