The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has lost 45% of the territory it once held in Iraq and 20% of areas it controlled in Syria, the USA Today website reports exclusively today (May 17, 2016).
The territory seized by Iraqi forces -- aided by coalition airstrikes and U.S. advisers -- is up from 40% announced earlier this year. The percentages are based on areas the militants controlled at their peak strength after they swept into Iraq in 2014.
The recent battlefield losses in Iraq are prompting ISIS to strike back against civilians with terrorist bombings, the latest killing dozens in Baghdad today.
During the past few weeks, U.S.-aided Iraqi forces pushed ISIS militants out of towns in western Iraq's Euphrates River valley as they consolidated gains made last December, when Iraq's army retook the city of Ramadi.
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