IS continues to be "active terrorist threat" to U.S.: intelligence chief

The Islamic State (IS) group continues to be an "active terrorist threat" to the U.S. despite its degrading strength, U.S. intelligence chief said Thursday.

Speaking at a U.S. Senate hearing on world threats to the U.S., Dan Coats, Director of National Intelligence, said the IS is experiencing territorial losses in Iraq and Syria as a result of persistent counter-terrorism operations.

However, Coats told lawmakers that the terrorist group still has the ability to "direct and inspire attacks against a wide range of targets around the world."

"Homegrown violent extremists remain the most frequent and unpredictable terrorist threat to the United States homeland," he said, adding that this threat will persist with many attacks happening with little or no warning.

At the hearing, Coats also called Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) an "increasingly grave national security threat to the United States," citing the country's growing missile and nuclear capabilities.

The Trump Administration has said it aims to use economic sanctions and diplomatic measures to pressure the DPRK into dismantling its nuclear and missile programs, and Washington remains open to negotiations towards this goal.

On Iran, Coats said Tehran's public statements suggest that it wants to preserve the nuclear agreement because it views the deal as a means to remove sanctions while preserving some nuclear capabilities. Enditem