Iraq 2016: the year of The decline of the “caliphate” of the Islamic State – MAP

Land-based attacks against the strongholds of the, barrage of air raids against the base, decimation of the combatants: the “caliphate” of the …
Islamic State has suffered during the 2016 major defeats, but it remains a global threat.
The jihadists have now under their control half of the territory that they occupied in 2014 in Iraq and Syria and have suffered the largest losses this year in the face of a multitude of forces and countries that rallied against them.
“Almost 3 million people and more than 44.000 square kilometers have been liberated” from the yoke of the LP in 2016, announced on Wednesday, the American general Steve Townsend, who heads the international coalition against the jihadists.
In particular, the jihadists have lost Fallujah in Iraq and the Ντάμπικ in Syria. Expelled also from Ramadi, the capital of the great western province of al Άνμπαρ in Iraq, and from the Μίνμπεζ in Syria, two cities which are of strategic importance for the territorial continuity of the “caliphate”.
The LP was also forced to abandon at the beginning of December the Latch, the stronghold in Libya, a country that was the basis of the organization for its expansion outside the Middle East.
Now priority is the defence of Mosul, the major city of northern Iraq, where Abu Bakr al Μπαγκντάντι had announced in 2014 the establishment of the “caliphate” of the organization.
In October began a broad operation of the iraqi security forces for the recapture of this city, with the air support of the international coalition against the CF.
The map below (among others) you can see:
the areas that gained the Islamic State(LP) in 2016 with green
the areas that lost the LP in 2016 with a red
the areas that lost The CAPACITY 2015 with coffee
the areas that he has control of even the EK with black

The advance of the iraqi army is slow because of the bomb, of trapped cars, suicide bombers and sniper of the CF. However, if the timetable for the recapture of Mosul is not clear, ultimately, unless something happens to the iraqi forces is expected to win the battle.
Once you drop the Mosul, the only major city that remains under the control of the T will be ar-raqqah in Syria.
But already it has begun the battle for its recapture, and it may be the last so great a battle against IKE, in accordance with the Mathieu Γκιντέρ special in τζιχαντιστικές organisations.
“The loss of the Drama will be the end of the project creation of a state for the T and will leave the organization without a territorial symbol to justify the name, Islamic State,” he added.
The cdc is now surrounded.
According to the Pentagon, at least 50,000 of its fighters have been killed as of 2014, i.e. two times the number of jihadists who had the organization in 2014, according to estimates of the coalition.
Despite the good results, the coordination between the various forces that are fighting against uc, which is many times rival, remains difficult, and the jihadists have proved that they are delivered easily.
The guerrilla tactics that he uses and mainly the seemingly inexhaustible source of suicide bombers that has, it helps the CAPACITY to cope with even the most well-trained and equipped forces.
Moreover, the sunni organization uses the distraction to result in blows to the opponents, but also to be able to claim that it retains the initiative of action.
“The 2016 was the year of decline of IK” considers the Γκιντέρ. But he stresses that the organization “continues to have great influence because there is no political solution on the horizon, ( … ), mainly for the sunnis in Iraq and Syria”.
If forced to retreat and reduced to guerilla warfare by unleashing attacks to sow terror, the LP could become a threat that will be even more difficult to deal with.
The return to their home countries of the combatants is also a matter of great concern in the West, after the attacks inspired by the organization or were executed by states in the united states, France and Belgium.
“The organization has προετομάσει the ground, waiting for her losses, and introducing the loss of soils as just a temporary retreat in Iraq and Syria, notes in a report for the Soufan Group.
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