Special to WorldTribune.com

WASHINGTON — The United States has revised its assessment and now regards Islamic State of Iraq and Levant as a military force.

The administration of President Barack Obama has told Congress that ISIL was transformed from what was termed a terrorist group to a veritable military in Iraq and Syria.

Officials said ISIL has accumulated combat platforms and weapons that could overpower most non-Western states.

“It is no longer a terrorist group,” Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Brett McGurk said. “It is a full-blown army.”

In testimony to the House Foreign Affairs Committee on July 23, McGurk, who spent several weeks in Iraq in mid-2014, insisted that the U.S. intelligence community detected the transformation of ISIL. But the official acknowledged that Washington could not stop ISIL’s advance through Syria and Iraq.

“We did see this coming,” McGurk said. “…Flushed with thousands of foreign fighters and suicide bombers, ISIL in Syria and Iraq increasingly represents a serious threat to U.S. interests.”

House committee members cited Iraqi requests for U.S. air strikes on ISIL. House Foreign Affairs Committee Rep. Ed Royce said the administration told Congress in February 2014 that ISIL began moving assets from Syria to Iraq in early 2013 and would challenge the Shi’ite-led government of Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki.

“Never has a terrorist organization itself controlled such a large, resource-rich safe haven as ISIL does today,” Royce said. “Never has a terrorist organization possessed the heavy weaponry, cash and personnel that ISIS does today – which includes thousands of Western passport holders.”

Officials said ISIL captured up to 1,500 U.S. Humvee combat vehicles in its drive through northern Iraq. They also cited ISIL’s seizure of U.S. artillery and machine guns.

For his part, McGurk said the Iraq Army has failed to roll back ISIL gains in the north. He said Baghdad has recruited Sunni tribes to fight ISIL, but acknowledged that they were ineffective.

“According to our regular contacts in these areas ISIL is able to over-match any lightly armed tribal force,” McGurk said. “The complete withdrawal of the Iraqi army from these areas, together with the lack of coverage by Iraqi aviation in the border regions, provides ISIL free rein to move manpower and heavy weapons to areas where tribes resist.”

Another administration official, Deputy Defense Undersecretary Elissa Slotkin, said the U.S. military has enhanced its presence in Iraq. Ms. Slotkin said the U.S. military was operating intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance over ISIL-held areas and was sharing information with the Al Maliki government.

“At the request of the government of Iraq, we surged ISR over Iraq after the fall of Mosul and also increased information-sharing initiatives,” Ms. Slotkin said. “These ISR sorties provide us a better understanding of ISIL operations and disposition and allow us to help the ISF [Iraqi security forces] counter ISIL. We are now capable of around-the-clock coverage over Iraq and have been focusing our efforts on ISIL-controlled territory as well as Baghdad.”

  Brett McGurk, House Foreign Affairs Committee, ISIL morphs into full-blown army’: U.S. intel claims ‘we did see this coming’, Rep. Ed Royce