Iraq insurgents 'growing stronger', says US intelligence official

The al-Qaeda-inspired insurgent group that has seized a string of cities in Iraq is rapidly gaining strength as it accumulates new weapons, fighters and cash, according to US intelligence assessments disclosed by a senior American official.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) "is the strongest it has been in several years" because of recent gains in both those countries, the senior US intelligence official said.

This assessment suggests the former al-Qaeda affiliate has rebuilt much of the capability it had at the height of the war in Iraq.

The description of ISIL, also known as Isis, underscores the challenge facing the Obama administration as it seeks to shore up a beleaguered Iraqi government that has alienated much of the country's population and watched its armed forces flee Mosul and other cities when confronted by insurgents.

The White House has sent as many as 300 US special operations troops to Iraq to help coordinate the government's efforts to counter the ISIL assault.

The US official said that American intelligence agencies had for months provided "strategic warning" that ISIL was growing in strength while the government in Baghdad appeared to be losing its grip on key cities.