ISIS Has Lost 22% of Its Territory

With ongoing airstrikes and advances in Iraq and Syria against the positions of the 'Islamic State', a major military analysis institute reports that the group has lost 22% of its territory under control in the past 15 months. The 'Jane's' institute stated in a recent report published on March 16 that the 'Islamic State' lost nearly 14% of its territory last year and about 8% this year. According to Jane's, ISIS currently occupies an area of 73,440 square kilometers, roughly half the size of England (the southern half of the British Isles). Meanwhile, attacks by the US-led coalition, advances by the Iraqi army and government allies, as well as attacks by opposition groups in Syria and the army and allies of Bashar al-Assad continue against it. Currently, the army and Assad's allies have reached five kilometers from the ancient city of 'Palmyra', which was captured by ISIS in mid-last year. Iraqi forces have also managed to drive the group out of the center of Anbar province. According to AFP, Calum Strack, a senior analyst at Jane's, says that the 'Islamic State' (in Iraq and Syria) has become significantly isolated. This isolation makes it more difficult for ISIS to attract foreign extremists to Syria. Another problem for the Islamists is their declining income, which has affected their ability to provide 'public services' in occupied areas, such as 'garbage collection' or 'security'. Meanwhile, the salaries of fighters have also 'dropped by half'. According to Jane's, the US-led coalition's and the Russian army's attacks on ISIS's oil resources have contributed to the decline in revenues. The US-led coalition also reported on March 16 in its daily reports about the continuation of attacks on ISIS in Iraq and Syria. According to the US Department of Defense, coalition fighter jets targeted positions in 'Al-Hol' in Syria and Al-Hawijah, Hit, or Sinjar in Iraq. Previously, a spokesperson for the US-led international coalition had told reporters that the 'Islamic State' has lost 40% of its territory in Iraq and 20% in Syria. The release of these new reports comes as a group of UN experts warned the Security Council that the influence and power of the 'Islamic State' in Libya has significantly increased.