But ISIS also was clearly learning and adapting, gaining new capabilities under Baghdadi’s oversight, Flynn explained. Baghdadi was a more careful planner, and he was willing to be both patient and strategic in building alliances and support networks. In short, ISIS’s recent gains in Iraq had been no accident. “They got better because they saw how they were defeated,” Flynn said. “Zarqawi was trying to create a civil war immediately to turn the situation in Iraq to his advantage. But the one big mistake he made was that he did not gain enough favor with the tribes in Anbar Province. He stole
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