Islamic State lost 14% of its territory in 2015 -- thinktank
- 8 years ago
The Islamic State lost around 14 percent of its territory in 2015, while Syria's Kurds almost tripled the land they control, thinktank IHS Jane's said on Monday.
"We had already seen a negative financial impact on the Islamic State due to the loss of control of the Tal Abyad border crossing prior to the recent intensification of air strikes against the group's oil production capacity," said Columb Strack, IHS senior Middle East analyst.
Syrian Kurdish fighters dominate a group called the Syrian Democratic Forces, a coalition of Kurdish and Arab fighters battling jihadists in northeastern Syria that has risen in prominence in recent months.
The biggest territorial loser among the main actors in the Syrian conflict was the Syrian government, which lost 16 percent and is now left with around 30,000 square km , less than half the area controlled by IS and a fraction of Syria's total area of about 185,000 square km .
"We had already seen a negative financial impact on the Islamic State due to the loss of control of the Tal Abyad border crossing prior to the recent intensification of air strikes against the group's oil production capacity," said Columb Strack, IHS senior Middle East analyst.
Syrian Kurdish fighters dominate a group called the Syrian Democratic Forces, a coalition of Kurdish and Arab fighters battling jihadists in northeastern Syria that has risen in prominence in recent months.
The biggest territorial loser among the main actors in the Syrian conflict was the Syrian government, which lost 16 percent and is now left with around 30,000 square km , less than half the area controlled by IS and a fraction of Syria's total area of about 185,000 square km .