The "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) has lost 87% of the territory it controlled in 2014, when it proclaimed a "caliphate" straddling Iraq and Syria, the international coalition said Tuesday (October 17th), AFP reported.
"Our partners have removed ISIS from 87% of territory they once held and liberated over 6.5 million people," coalition spokesman Ryan Dillon said.
Attacking from strongholds it consolidated in Iraq and Syria, ISIS swept through Iraq in June 2014 and conquered roughly a third of the country.
In a separate statement, issued on the third anniversary of the international effort to oust ISIS from Iraq and Syria, the coalition said it had trained close to 120,000 forces in Iraq and more than 12,000 in Syria.
It estimated 3,000 to 7,000 ISIS fighters were still active in both countries.
"ISIS is losing in every way. We have devastated their networks and eliminated leaders at all levels," Dillon said.
