Tue Jun 14, 2016 13:11:16
ISIS remains a force to be reckoned with. Its terror caliphate once stretched from northern Iraq to eastern Syria, with major cities, large oil fields and key border regions still under militant control, but the group's power and its reach are significantly weaker than they seem on paper.
The unbroken expanses of territory under ISIS control are mostly empty desert," a team lead by analyst Omar Lamrani said in its latest report for Stratfor. "A look at the group's three core Syrian areas – northern Aleppo province, Raqqa and [Deir ez-Zor] – shows how the terrorist groups is steadily losing ground across its scattered, self-declared empire."
Things are not going well for ISIS in these regions.
The Syrian province of Aleppo is crucial for Daesh's survival since the terrorist group relies heavily on the steady flow of foreign fighters, weapons and supplies smuggled through Turkey.The majority of these routes have already been cut off by the Kurds, the few that remain (like the city of Manbij) are expected to be freed soon.
Furthermore, northern Aleppo is home to the village of Dabiq that, according to Daesh's beliefs, will see the final, apocalyptic battle take place.
In northern Aleppo, Daesh has been pressed from three sides. Damascus-led forces, assisted by Russian warplanes and their local allies have advanced from the south. The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are pushing west across the Euphrates River, while rebels from the city of Azaz are advancing to the east. In addition, Turkey has shelled border regions from the north.
"But there is another loyalist offensive underway that, if it pans out, will pose an existential threat to the [Daesh's] northern Aleppo zone by completely cutting it off from the rest of the group's Syrian territory," the analysts said, referring to the offensive on the city of Tabqa, located on Lake Assad in the province of Raqqa.
If successful, this operation will cut the road linking northern Aleppo and Raqqa, the capital of the terror caliphate, Sputnik reported.
212-11
string(2816) "[{"id":"1827827","sort":"3565375","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/06/13/alalam_636014095989218068_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"VDO: Who is ISIS Terrorist who Did the Worst Mass Shooting in US History?"} ,{"id":"1827891","sort":"3565376","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/06/13/alalam_636014248238931279_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"VIDEO: 25 ISIS Terrorist Killed, Another Village Liberated in Iraq's Mosul"} ,{"id":"1827928","sort":"3565377","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/06/13/alalam_636014293034338706_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"US-Backed Anti ISIS Forces, SDF Intensified siege on the ISIS-Held Manbij in Syria"} ,{"id":"1827929","sort":"3565378","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/06/13/alalam_636014297809546479_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Syrian Army Forces Kill Many ISIS, Nusra Militants in Hama, Deir Ezzor, Quneitra"} ,{"id":"1827964","sort":"3565379","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/06/13/alalam_636014346236470335_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"VIDEO: Street Battle of Sirte Continues, ISIS Terrorists Deserted among People"} ,{"id":"1827968","sort":"3565380","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/06/13/alalam_636014356030177231_25f_4x3.mp4","title":"VIDEO: Iraqi Army Kills Hundreds of ISIS Militants in Fallujah Military Operations"} ,{"id":"1827979","sort":"3565381","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/06/13/alalam_636014379146096209_25f_4x3.jpg","title":""ISIS Leader Al-Baghdadi Killed in Airstrike on Raqqa": Daesh News Agency"} ,{"id":"1827980","sort":"3565382","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/06/13/alalam_636014383526729944_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Syrian Democratic Forces Kill Over 500 ISIS Militants in Manbij Operations"} ,{"id":"1827989","sort":"3565383","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/06/13/alalam_636014405254263829_25f_4x3.mp4","title":"VIDEO: ISIS Militants Assault Kills 5 Iraqi Soldiers in Ramadi"} ,{"id":"1828032","sort":"3565384","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/06/13/alalam_636014488406111843_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Iraqi Forces Pound ISIS Communications Headquarters in Southern Fallujah"} ,{"id":"1828156","sort":"3565385","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/06/14/alalam_636014910118817441_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"ISIS Terrorist Kills Police Chief, Wife near Paris amid Euro 2016 Football Matches"} ,{"id":"1828160","sort":"3565386","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/06/14/alalam_636014921514407031_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Hillary Clinton: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait Must Stop Funding ISIS, Extremists"} ,{"id":"1828176","sort":"3565387","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/06/14/alalam_636014981768631737_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Iraqi Forces Arrest over 500 ISIS Suspects Escaping Fallujah with Civilians"} ,{"id":"1828197","sort":"3565388","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/06/14/alalam_636015010496164386_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Over 7000 Iraqi Civilians Flee ISIS-Held Fallujah via Army Forces Safe Corridor"} ]"