Pentagon: 'IS' has lost over 25 percent of land in Iraq
Source: Deutsche Welle
A US-led aerial campaign has pushed back "Islamic State" ("IS"
militants from a substantial portion of land captured in Iraq, the Pentagon says. The news comes ahead of high-profile Iraqi-US talks in Washington.
Speaking to reporters at the US Department of Defense, Army Colonel Steven Warren confirmed that coalition forces had regained control over roughly one-third of IS' territory.
"This equates to approximately 5,000 square miles to 6,000 square miles [of Iraq territory] since the peak of [IS] territorial influence in Iraq in August 2014," Warren said.
The Islamist extremist militants lost key fighting areas, such as the Mosul Dam, Zummar and land near the Sinjar Mountain and were generally driven west or south.
Although other reports have indicated losses for IS in Iraq, the extremist organization continues to control large swathes of Syria and has been making gains there in recent weeks.
Read more: http://www.dw.de/pentagon-is-has-lost-over-25-percent-of-land-in-iraq/a-18379756