It was also coordinating with Iraqi artillery units to strike fixed Islamic State positions, the statement said. After the caliphateOnce in control of territory equivalent to the size of Britain, the Islamic State is down to its last 200 square miles, according to Colonel Ryan. It has taken more than four years, over 29,000 airstrikes and thousands of soldiers’ lives for the American-led coalition to reclaim the group’s land holdings in Iraq and Syria. But the Islamic State remains a potent force. But a third report, to be published soon by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, confirms the higher estimate, concluding that the Islamic State still has as many as 25,000 fighters.

Source: New York Times September 11, 2018 09:11 UTC