Pentagon reportedly investigating allegations of overly rosy ISIS battle assessments

Is U.S. Central Command fudging the intel on ISIS?
(Image credit: CC by: DVIDSHUB)

At least one analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency has accused officials at U.S. Central Command of altering intelligence assessments of the U.S. fight against Islamic State to make them seem more optimistic, The New York Times reports, citing "several officials familiar with the inquiry." The Pentagon's inspector general reportedly considers the charges serious enough to have opened an investigation.

The civilian DIA analyst or analysts say that military officials reworked draft assessments meant for civilian policymakers, including President Obama, violating U.S. rules against distorting intelligence assessments to match agency agendas or policies, The Times reports. "Legitimate differences of opinion are common and encouraged among national security officials, so the inspector general's investigation is an unusual move and suggests that the allegations go beyond typical intelligence disputes." You can read more about the accusations at The New York Times.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.