Pentagon: First step in anti-ISIS battle 'complete'

The US-led coalition campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria has successfully completed its first "phase" of operations, AFP reports.

The coalition is working through three main steps as it wages its 20-month-old fight against ISIS, Baghdad-based spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said.

"Our enemy has been weakened and we now are working to fracture him. Phase one of the military campaign is complete," Warren told Pentagon reporters, noting that this initial step was to "degrade" ISIS by stopping it from making additional territorial gains.

"We are now in phase two, which is to dismantle this enemy," he added.

Warren said the final phase of the campaign is to ensure ISIS is dealt a lasting defeat, primarily by enabling local forces to prevent a resurgence of jihadist influence.