We believe they pose a threat not only in Iraq and Syria but also to the whole region. Indeed globally, they're a threat to all of us.
I remind the committee that ISIL is an extremist Sunni group whose goal is the establishment of a single transnational Islamic state based on sharia law. They want to replicate the caliphate of more than a thousand years ago, which spanned every country in the Middle East, from Spain right through to the subcontinent. That is their stated goal.
They have had, more or less, some success in other countries of the region. There is adherence here, there, and everywhere, including in Canada, as we know. But I believe that militarily they've been stalled. The military intervention has worked in the sense of stalling their forward assault and in some cases has rolled them back. Again, on that front, on Thursday I'd like to let the ministers speak to just how much success has been achieved against ISIL.