And even though its hold on crucial urban centers is being shaken, the Islamic State is in no way homeless yet. In Iraq, the group still controls Tal Afar, Hawija, other towns and much of Anbar Province. They have taken with them the group’s most important recruiting, financing, propaganda and external operations functions, American officials said. American Special Operations forces have targeted this area heavily with armed Reaper drones and attack planes, disrupting and damaging the Islamic State’s leadership and ability to carry out plots. It is all a new chapter in the history of a group whose roots go back to the United States’ invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Source: New York Times July 08, 2017 10:48 UTC