The "Islamic State" (ISIS) terrorist group has lost 22 percent of the territory it held at the start of 2015, military analysts IHS Jane's said Wednesday, as US and Russian air strikes have helped the terrorists' opponents advance.
ISIS controls swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria but lost 14 percent of it last year and a further eight percent this year, according to the IHS Conflict Monitor. IHS Jane's said the jihadists controlled 73,440 square kilometers of ground as of Monday, an area equivalent to around half the size of England.
The Syrian government has made gains in the west of the country and is now five kilometers outside the ancient city of Palmyra, which was overrun by ISIS fighters in mid-2015.
"The Islamic State is increasingly isolated, and being perceived as in decline," said IHS senior analyst Columb Strack, according to AFP.