US commander: Islamic State may be reverting to its 'roots'

May 18, 2016 18:37

A series of deadly attacks by Islamic State operatives in and around Baghdad may be a sign that the militants are "reverting to their roots" as a terrorist organisation, the top US commander for the Middle East said today.

Army General Joseph Votel, the head of US Central Command, said this does not mean IS has given up its ambition to create a so-called caliphate. But he said it marks a new turn in tactics aimed at diverting attention from the group's recent battlefield losses.

Speaking to reporters while travelling to the Middle East, Votel said the attacks that have rocked Baghdad over the past week, killing upward of 200 civilians, are an illustration of the dynamic nature of the war.

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