This Is What Makes The Islamic State Army Of 200,000 So Deadly

Islamic State or IS, earlier called ISIS or ISIL, has 200,000 soldiers. That is more than six times the earlier CIA estimates, according to Fuad Hussein, the chief of staff of Iraqi Kurdish President Massoud Barzani. He explained to the Independent UK that he was talking about "hundreds of thousands of fighters" as they could motivate young Arab men in the regions occupied by them to join their battle.

As they control about one-third of Iraq and Syria, the area offers IS a fertile ground of a 10 to 12 million-large force, from which they can recruit potential fighters. According to Hussein, it is a large force that explains how the IS has been able to fight Iraq and Syria on so many fronts. Kobani, Ramadi, Jalawla and seven different places -- all these areas were attacked by the IS. Hussein rues that ISIS rules a third of Iraq as well as Syria with a population of between 10 and 12 million in an area of 250,000 square kilometers -- almost equal to the area of Great Britain, according The Independent.

Earlier, the U.S. intelligence estimates showed an upward range of 31,500 militants. They may have been referring to a "core" fighter force. Yet, thanks to some clever marketing, a strong military and ideological core, IS has built up its fighting force into a sophisticated unit, which has thrown western governments off kilter, according to RTNews.

"We are talking about a state that has a military and ideological basis," says Mr Hussein. He explains that the IS not only infiltrated everyone with their military capability, but also bulldozed them into believing in what they wanted, which built up their ideological foundation.

It has been a corrosive five-month attack. IS militants include "suicide bombings, mines, snipers and deployment of captured US armored fighting vehicles" as part of their war-mongering. On June 10, after Mosul fell, the group captured tanks, artillery and U.S. hardware with great speed, which meant that the group identified and gained a number of Iraqi and Syrian soldiers.

Moreover, they also used Russian-made equipment that was caught in Syria. In fact, even the Kurdish Peshmerga fighters are awed by the IS' discipline and efficiency. They seemed to be not only disciplined, but persistent and tenacious. They were not only trained to shoot snipers, but also had the discipline to stick for five hours and hit their targets. Moreover, the violent and poverty-stricken nation had few chances of employment for young men, so the group's $400-a-month salary gave attractive incentives for so many.

Washington's understanding of the IS threat is also indicated by the sweep of their involvement in the region. During a surprise visit to Baghdad on Saturday, General Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, met Iraqi officials and American troops to take the engagement forward. He said that the U.S. military had helped Iraqi and Kurdish forces to pull Iraq back. Earlier in the week, Dempsy said that an 80,000-strong ground force would be required to fight the IS. Even though they retook Baiji town, which was the location of its largest refinery, Iraqis had very little faith that their army could overcome IS.

Last week, the U.S. President Barack Obama doubled the number of American ground forces in Iraq, with about 1,400 U.S. troops in Iraq. Currently, the CIA is trying to train 5,000 more fighters a year.