ISIS terrorizes Europe but loses ground at home

On Monday, Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad recaptured the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra. Last week, the U.S. took out the organization’s No. 2, Abd al-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli, whom the Pentagon dubbed ISIS’ “finance minister” and is just the latest target to disrupt the group’s financial network.

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And in recent months, the U.S.-led anti-ISIS coalition has killed more than 10,000 fighters and 20 leaders, including al-Qaduli, according to Pentagon estimates.

Altogether, the U.S. calculates that ISIS has lost 40% of the 34,000 square miles of territory it controlled in Syria and Iraq before the U.S. and a host of other nations ramped up military involvement in the region in 2014. Perhaps most significantly, Iraqi forces retook the city of Ramadi in December.

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