US-led coalition says fewer than 1,000 ISIS fighters remain in Iraq, Syria

Fewer than 1,000 Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) fighters remain in Iraq and Syria, the US-led international coalition fighting the Sunni militant group said on Wednesday, a third of the estimated figure only three weeks ago. Iraq and Syria have both declared victory over IS in recent weeks. “There are estimated to be less than 1,000 ISIS terrorists in our combined joint area of operations, most of whom are being hunted down in the desert regions in eastern Syria and Western Iraq,” the US-led coalition told Reuters. However, the figure excludes areas in western Syria under the control of President Bashar Assad’s government and his allies.