Daesh Lost Quarter of Territory in Syria, Iraq Since Beginning of 2015

Daesh terrorist group has lost more than a quarter of its territory in Syria and Iraq since January 2015, a US-based research firm said in a report on Sunday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to the Information Handling Services' (IHS) data, Daesh-controlled territory in Iraq and Syria shrunk by 14 percent in 2015 and further 12 percent in the first six months of the following year. Overall, the territory lost by Daesh in 18 months can be compered by its size to Ireland.

"Over the past 18 months, the Islamic State [Daesh] has continued to lose territory at an increasing rate… As the Islamic State’s caliphate shrinks and it becomes increasingly clear that its governance project is failing, the group is re-prioritizing insurgency," Columb Strack, senior analyst at IHS, said as quoted in the firm's news release.

Strack noted that, as a result, there can be an increase in Daesh mass casualty attacks and sabotage of economic infrastructure across Iraq, Syria, and other territories, including Europe.

In June 2016, Iraq announced the liberation of Fallujah, one of the largest cities in the Anbar province, which had been controlled by Daesh since 2014.