British think tank IHS says the Islamic State group lost 12 percent of the territory it holds in Iraq and Syria in the first half of 2016.
The analysis says the jihadist group, which proclaimed its self-styled “caliphate” in the two countries in 2014, is continuing to lose ground after a string of setbacks last year.
“In 2015, the Islamic State’s caliphate shrunk by 12,800 square kilometers (nearly 5,000 square miles) to 78,000 square kilometers (30,000 square miles), a net loss of 14 percent,” IHS says. “In the first six months of 2016, that territory shrunk again by 12 percent. As of July 4, 2016, the Islamic State controls roughly 68,300 square kilometers (26,400 square miles) in Iraq and Syria.”
IHS senior analyst Columb Strack says the losses are likely to mean IS will redouble its attempts at “mass casualty attacks.”
Islamic State has also seen its revenues drop, from around $80 million a month in mid-2015 to $56 million a month by March 2016, according to IHS.
IS fighters ride tanks during a parade in Raqqa, Syria, held by the Islamic State, June 2014. (AP Photo/Raqqa Media Center, File)
— AFP
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