Alwaght- The myth of ISIS’s invincibility is falling apart. When the terrorist group first emerged, the fear it spread almost paralyzed the forces that were to fight against it. However, these forces mustered the strength to stand up to ISIS and this has dissolved the fabric that tied ISIS-affiliated factions all together.
It is now clearer than ever that the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria is losing ground, and is expected to witness its own demise soon.
In Iraq, ISIS has lost approximately 50 percent of the grounds it had seized during an offensive in June 2014. Ramadi, Tikrit, and Beiji were all lost to the Iraqi forces that have launched a fierce counter-offensive to retake the territories that remain under ISIS control and are pushing toward the complete liberation of the country. Now with operations to retake Fallujah in full swing, hopes are high that the success of these attacks will pave the road to Mosul where a tough battle awaits. Still, the odds are not in ISIS’s favor.
In Syria, the group is on the retreat but on a much slower pace. According to new estimates of a US-led coalition, ISIS has lost 20 percent of areas it controlled in Syria. To the north of the war-ravaged country, ISIS and its likes have suffered a blow as access to the Turkish border has been mainly sealed off by Syrian Kurdish YPG fighters. If the corridor between Aleppo and the Euphrates is closed, ISIS militants will no longer go back and forth so easily and aid will also decrease.
Further to the west of the restive region, Libyan forces have retaken parts of Sirte from ISIS militants, which means that the extremist group has lost its most significant stronghold outside Syria and Iraq, according to a Libyan military group.
However, the operation was not easy. ISIS terrorist resorted to suicide car bombings one of which detonated near a field hospital in the city. The offensive has left more than a hundred militants dead and about 400 others wounded. In the face of these losses and sensing that they were losing the upper-hand, ISIS members were deployed to carry out suicide attacks both to avenge the group and suggest that it is still powerful. This is what is called planting fear.
In Iraq, terrorist bombings have struck the capital Baghdad and its surrounding neighbourhoods. In May, 200 people were killed in only week. The increase in attacks coincide with ISIS loss on the battlefield. The deadly bombings are seen as attempts to compensate this defeat with the blood of innocent civilians.
ISIS is without a doubt losing battles but the battle is not the same as the war. While the progress being made on the battlefield by resistance groups has made significant changes to the equation, the result is still inconclusive mainly because the funders and supporters of ISIS have not cut the group’s life support. ISIS has won a few battles but these victories were bloody and momentary. Now they are losing more battles and they will ultimately lose the war, this time for good.
