<p>An alarming number of people are willing to risk or give their lives for ISIS.</p>
<p>The Islamic State averaged 93 suicide bombings per month in Syria and Iraq in 2016 and is currently averaging about 88 per month so far this year. That&rsquo;s more than al-Qaeda launched throughout the entire year of 2001 (including 9/11). ;</p>
<p>This information comes from think-tank expert Thomas Joscelyn of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD), who testified this Thursday before a House panel as part of a hearing entitled &ldquo;The terrorist diaspora: After the fall of the caliphate.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Joscelyn&rsquo;s testimony follows the announcement that US-led forces have finally managed to drive ISIS out of Mosul after nine long months of fighting.</p>
<p>&ldquo;The number of suicide bombings claimed by the so-called caliphate dwarfs all other jihadist groups, including al-Qaeda,&rdquo; writes Joscelyn, adding that ;&ldquo;it is impossible to verify the Islamic State&rsquo;s figures with any precision.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Problems with information-gathering include:</p>
<p>&bull; The &ldquo;fog of war&rdquo;</p>
<p>&bull; Failed attacks that ISIS has claimed as legitimate ;</p>
<p>&bull; The number of ISIS operatives who were forced into service (including children)</p>
<p>Even so, &ldquo;it is reasonable to conclude that the number of people willing to die for the sake of the so-called caliphate is disturbingly high &ndash; much higher than the number of willing martyrs in 2001 or even much more recently,&rdquo; concludes Joscelyn. ;</p>
<p>The suicide attacks have been used primarily to defend ISIS positions, including Mosul.</p>
<p>&#8212;</p>
<p>During a separate hearing on ;Thursday, Katherine Zimmerman of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) told a House panel that our focus on ISIS has allowed al-Qaeda to flourish unchecked, particularly in Syria. ;</p>
<p>Others worry that terrorists will return to Europe and the US following the Iraqi defeat of ISIS in Mosul. These individuals will either be &ldquo;disillusioned,&rdquo; &ldquo;disengaged but not disillusioned,&rdquo; or &ldquo;operational,&rdquo; says Colin Clarke of the RAND Corporation. ;</p>
<p>All three types are dangerous because they have the capacity to radicalize youth and/or carry out attacks. ;</p>