Despite the insistence of President Obama and his senior advisors that the Islamic State and the violent jihadist movement worldwide is losing ground, the former head of U.S. Central Commander says the exact opposite is true.

“The U.S. has lost ground in the fight against Islamic extremism, the former commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East said in a recent interview,” according to an article in The Hill, a Washington based newspaper that covers Congressional affairs.

The following are excerpts from this important story:

• “Unfortunately, we have lost ground over time,” said retired Gen. John P. Abizaid, former commander of U.S. Central Command in an interview published in this month’s West Point’s Combating Terrorism Center’s magazine.
• “The scope of the ideological movement, the geographic dispersion of Islamic extremism, the number of terror attacks, the number of people swearing allegiance, and the ground they hold have all increased,” said Abizaid.
• “Groups like the…