US commander: Islamic State trying to regain initiative

KUWAIT CITY — Deadly bombings in Baghdad may signal a shift in tactics by the Islamic State, determined to rebound from a series of battlefield losses and the group’s hope that attacks in the capital will distract already divided Iraqi leaders, a top U.S. general said Wednesday.

U.S. officials say they have squeezed the Islamic State on multiple fronts, damaging their ability to raise revenue from oil, destroying substantial cash stockpiles, eliminating more than 120 of their key leaders since the start of 2015 and reducing the amount of territory they control by 45 percent in Iraq and by 20 percent in Syria.

“I think they believe it will cause the Iraqi government to divert forces, divert effort, divert intellectual horsepower to solving those problems” as opposed to priorities like recapturing the Islamic State stronghold of Mosul in northern Iraq and further stabilizing Anbar province.

Votel, who took over at Central Command seven weeks ago after commanding U.S. Special Operations Command, offered a balanced view of the outlook for further Iraqi military gains.