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Washington Post: Islamic State has lost this much territory in Iraq and Syria this year
Two years ago this week, the Islamic State overran the Iraqi city of Mosul in a humiliating defeat for the country's U.S.-trained security forces. Hundreds of thousands of terrified civilians and soldiers fled the city as the militants swiftly advanced.
Appearing at a mosque in Mosul later in June 2014, the leader of the Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, declared the creation of a caliphate. His militants had claimed about a third of Iraq's territory.
Today, the Islamic State is a much diminished force as it suffers a string of battlefield losses backed by U.S.-led airstrikes in Iraq, while Syrian rebels and President Bashar al-Assad's forces have been fighting it in Syria. Officials estimate that the militants have lost 45 percent of the territory it once had in Iraq and 20 percent in Syria.
But Mosul, which once had a population of nearly 1.5 million, remains under Islamic State control.
Here's a look at the territory the group has lost in both countries this year.
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Update: Islamic State loses ground on fronts in Syria, Iraq (Reuters)
WNU Editor: Even though the Islamic State has lost a lot of territory, their support is deep and I am sure that the Iraqi (and Syrian) military is having problems in making sure that the territory that they captured remains under their control.
1 comment:
"...their support is deep..." This is spot on. When ISIS came to power it captured and held territory faster and more efficiently than the United States military ever could have even before it was worn down. In order to do this, they would need to have broad and deep support.
This is a VERY tough enemy and will NOT be easy to defeat. I have very calmly and very patiently pointed this out here and elsewhere many, many times.
With that said, at this time, it does appear ISIS will be defeated. The math simply does not seem to work for them. They simply seem to have to many powerful forces arrayed against them. Where I think they messed up is once they gained vast territory they were unable to adjust to behaving like a normal country and their behavior became to grotesque even for their allies and so grotesque that those who did not wish for the fight simply could not ignore it.
Had they have made the transition to behaving like a normal country, things might have been different and then they could have captured the remaining territory over time. Also, they may yet adjust their strategies and tactics to defeat the forces arrayed against them even without needing to behave like a normal country. This is a very tough enemy and, while there is reason for optimism that it can be defeated, it is by no means defeated nor is victory guaranteed.
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