There Are Six More Battles That Still Need To Be Fought To Defeat The Islamic State

Washington Post: Here are some of the toughest battles still to be fought against ISIS

The battle of Mosul is over, but the war against the Islamic State is far from done. The militants have lost some 60 percent of the territory they controlled at the peak of their expansion, but that leaves a sizable area, mostly in Syria but also Iraq, to be recaptured. Much of it is uninhabited desert, but significant towns and cities in both countries, and almost a whole province in Syria, remain in the militants’ hands. Among them are staunch Islamic State strongholds, located in some of the most remote terrain of the war. In some instances, it isn’t yet clear which forces will undertake the battles, and potential local and international flash points lie ahead as competing powers vie for the chance to control territory.

Here are six of the toughest battles still to be fought.

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WNU editor: Raqqa followed by Deir al-Zour are the two main ones. If these regions are recaptured in the coming months .... there is nothing left by desert for the Islamic State to hide in.