ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Nearly all the deputies of ISIS’ leader have been killed, the group’s funding has been drastically cut, and the flow of foreign fighters into Iraq and Syria has dropped to “negligible” levels as the extremist group loses territory on a daily basis and the international coalition continues to hammer their leadership and revenue sources.
Coalition airstrikes have targeted ISIS leadership, killing Abu-Bakr al-Baghdadi’s chief of external operations, and ministers of war, finance, and propaganda, “and it is a matter of time before Baghdadi meets the same fate,” said the office of the coalition spokesperson.
The 68-member international coalition held a plenary meeting on Monday, praising the cooperation between member nations, as they welcomed new member Libya and reviewed progress made against ISIS.
“Coalition members emphasized the close coordination between our military, intelligence, and law enforcement communities, which has resulted in significant degradation to ISIL’s global network,” reads a statement issued by the spokesperson, using an alternate acronym for ISIS.
Brett McGurk, US special envoy to the coalition, briefed the meeting.
The flow of foreign fighters into Iraq and Syria, which had been as high as 1,000 per month in 2014, has dropped to “a negligible amount today” and the group’s ability to cross borders “has been significantly degraded.”
The terrorist group’s media reach has also been hit as the coalition works with the private sector to target ISIS in cyberspace. “Twitter has suspended nearly 400,000 ISIL-related or affiliated sites over the past year,” reads the statement, which also notes the rise in anti-ISIS material online.
ISIS’ revenue sources have been seriously impacted as coalition airstrikes target its oil and gas facilities and networks, as well as its cash reserves. The coalition notes that ISIS has had to resort to taxing local populations for revenue and has cut salaries of its militants.
While hailing their achievements, the coalition acknowledged “that this will be a long-term fight” against the extremist group.
Coalition airstrikes have targeted ISIS leadership, killing Abu-Bakr al-Baghdadi’s chief of external operations, and ministers of war, finance, and propaganda, “and it is a matter of time before Baghdadi meets the same fate,” said the office of the coalition spokesperson.
The 68-member international coalition held a plenary meeting on Monday, praising the cooperation between member nations, as they welcomed new member Libya and reviewed progress made against ISIS.
“Coalition members emphasized the close coordination between our military, intelligence, and law enforcement communities, which has resulted in significant degradation to ISIL’s global network,” reads a statement issued by the spokesperson, using an alternate acronym for ISIS.
Brett McGurk, US special envoy to the coalition, briefed the meeting.
Met earlier today @StateDept to brief ambassadors & reps from our 68-member global @coalition against ISIL. Readout: https://t.co/2csbae3ON3 pic.twitter.com/S5w9Te6rlB
— Brett McGurk (@brett_mcgurk) November 28, 2016
The flow of foreign fighters into Iraq and Syria, which had been as high as 1,000 per month in 2014, has dropped to “a negligible amount today” and the group’s ability to cross borders “has been significantly degraded.”
The terrorist group’s media reach has also been hit as the coalition works with the private sector to target ISIS in cyberspace. “Twitter has suspended nearly 400,000 ISIL-related or affiliated sites over the past year,” reads the statement, which also notes the rise in anti-ISIS material online.
ISIS’ revenue sources have been seriously impacted as coalition airstrikes target its oil and gas facilities and networks, as well as its cash reserves. The coalition notes that ISIS has had to resort to taxing local populations for revenue and has cut salaries of its militants.
While hailing their achievements, the coalition acknowledged “that this will be a long-term fight” against the extremist group.
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