"[The Islamic State] eventually will be suppressed, but I think that for some time to come we will have more extremist organizations which will be spawned… and we are going to be in, I think, a perpetual state of suppression for some time to come," Clapper stated.
Even after the anticipated defeat of the Daesh, a different terrorist organization will fill its place, Clapper warned, describing "a cycle of extremism which will continue to control us into the foreseeable future."
In its annual global threat report, the Office of the National Intelligence Director warned that the Islamic State had become the preeminent global terrorist threat due to its ability to recruit and inspire attacks.
At the same time, threats from other Islamic terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda, have endured despite US and allied counterterrorism efforts.
