The jihadist group lost its two main hubs, Mosul in Iraq and Raqa in Syria, earlier this year and is now only clinging to the dregs of a “caliphate” that spanned territory the size of Britain three years ago. This month, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced that for the first time in four years IS controlled no significant territory in Iraq. In neighbouring Syria, some work remains to be done, but IS holds only scattered and isolated pockets. The costly military fightback was also a chance to rebuild an army whose collapse in Mosul played a large part in the lightning expansion of the IS caliphate in 2014. In Iraq, 11 million people require humanitarian assistance and colossal reconstruction needs are not the only challenges.

Source: The Guardian December 18, 2017 13:07 UTC