PLEASE DONT LOOK IF YOU HAVE A HEART OF MERCY
Maps often depict the Islamic State as a
sprawling territory across Iraq and Syria. But the group’s control has
been shaped by about 126 places — cities, towns, infrastructure and
bases — where it has had military dominance.
Out of 10 Cities, the
Islamic State Remains in Six
The group has been forced out of about 55 places where it once had control, including four major cities, since it made rapid advances across the two countries in 2014. And it could soon lose Falluja, the first city it controlled.
In June 2014, the Islamic State stunned the world when it seized Mosul, by far the largest city it controls, from Iraqi soldiers who dropped their weapons and fled.
But the group’s momentum has shifted. “The
caliphate has been crumbling at the edges,” said Columb Strack, a senior
analyst at IHS Conflict Monitor, an organization that has been tracking
which cities and towns make up the militant group’s territory.
Iraqi security forces regained control of Ramadi
in January after months of battling Islamic State fighters there. Many
homes in the city were destroyed or rigged with explosives during the
fighting, and most residents have yet to return.
The Syrian government is fighting to remove the Islamic State from parts of Deir al-Zour.
If the government succeeds, the militants will lose a crucial
connection between their strongholds in Raqqa and Mosul, making it more
difficult for them to move quickly to defend territory, Mr. Strack said.
The Militants Capture Infrastructure
and Resources to Generate Revenue
As they seized cities, Islamic State militants
also captured valuable resources like oil fields and hydroelectric
dams, which have helped them generate income. The group’s oil and gas
revenue is down 26 percent since last year but still adds up to about
$23 million a month, according to IHS.
After losing a monthslong battle with Kurdish forces for control of Kobani, a key Syrian town on the border with Turkey, the Islamic State was quickly pushed out of a large stretch of northern Syria.
Now, the Islamic State is fighting to hold
onto a strategic corridor at the Turkish border that allows their people
and goods to move between the two countries.
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