Latest estimates for ISIL strength: Pay cut
A few things that caught my attention:
“U.S. intelligence estimates of the number of Islamic State fighters, which for the first 17 months of coalition operations ranged from 19,000 to 31,000, had been revised to 20,000 to 25,000 – a level he said the group would struggle to maintain.”
“”They have been able to replenish their forces at roughly the same rate as we’ve been able to kill their forces. That’s hard to sustain,” he said.”
It does not state, but I wonder how much of the pay cut for Jihadists is due to declining oil prices. Also, do they have health care and a retirement plan?