U.S.-allied Kurdish commander warns of growing IS threat

HASSAKEH, Syria (AP) — The chief commander for the U.S.-allied Kurdish-led force known as the Syrian Democratic Forces says the Islamic State is a growing threat. Mazloum Abdi told the Associated Press that immediate security measures were taken to contain active IS sleeper cells, but the group is proving to be a resilient insurgency. “We are surrounded by the Islamic State,” he said in an interview on Thursday, in the wake of last month’s deadly prison attack. Abdi shared blame for the attack — deemed the bloodiest since IS held territory — that left 121 SDF fighters dead and took nearly two weeks to contain.