The Islamic State likely has “more territory today around the world than they did at any time," former CIA deputy director Michael Morell says. | AP Obama's former deputy CIA director: The terrorists are winning

The Islamic State is winning, a former CIA deputy director under President Barack Obama said Tuesday in reaction to the terrorist attacks in Belgium.

Michael Morell, who has served as acting CIA director twice, outlined the Islamic State’s goals: to spread its ideology and caliphate to other parts of the world while also creating fear in the West with its attacks — the latter being an action it carried out Tuesday when a series of explosions struck Brussels, the Belgian capital.


While the U.S. is having success diminishing the Islamic State’s caliphate in Syria, Morell said, the terror group is “growing rapidly in the rest of the world.”

The Islamic State likely has “more territory today around the world than they did at any time, and they’ve conducted now attacks in Paris, San Bernardino and now in Brussels,” he told “CBS This Morning.”

“So I would say they’re winning, right? They’re winning, and we’re going to have to find additional approaches to try to undermine them.”