Report: Daesh has lost 12% of area under its control in six months

Daesh has lost over 12 per cent of the area under its control in Syria and Iraq since January, a new study by IHS research group claimed.

The analysis published on Sunday said that Daesh’s caliphate shrunk from 12,800 sq km to 78,000 sq km, a net loss of 14 per cent, in 2015.

“In the first six months of 2016, that territory shrunk again by 12%. As of July 4, 2016, the Islamic State [Daesh] controls roughly 68,300 sq km in Iraq and Syria.”

This territory is roughly the size of Ireland or the US state of West Virginia, the report added.

“Over the past 18 months, the Islamic State [Daesh] has continued to lose territory at an increasing rate,” said Columb Strack, senior analyst at IHS and lead analyst for the IHS Conflict Monitor.

“As the Islamic State’s caliphate shrinks and it becomes increasingly clear that its governance project is failing, the group is re-prioritizing insurgency,” he added.

In March, the group lost the ancient city of Palmyra during fighting with the Syrian regime’s forces.

Last year, the group lost control over the city of Tel Abyad in Raqqa province in Syria. The group also lost the city of Fallujah, 50 kilometres west of Baghdad in Iraq.

The Pentagon said on 16 May that Daesh has lost 45 per cent of the territory under its control in Iraq and 16 to 20 per cent of the territory under its control in Syria.