New Military Report: ISIS Has Lost Even MORE Territory

Members of the U.S. Military listen as President Donald Trump speaks at Fort Myer in Arlington Va., Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, during a Presidential Address to the Nation about a strategy he believes will best position the U.S. to eventually declare victory in Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

During President Trump’s first year in office, there have been some accomplishments.

A huge win for the GOP was the recent passage of the tax cut bill. This is a victory as they head into 2018, a year which holds the midterm elections. Regardless of whether one agrees with all aspects of the legislation (and there is a fair amount to dislike about it), this is a clear victory for the Republican base and Trump supporters who were looking for a win in Congress.

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On top of this domestic win has been military success against the terror group ISIS. And these triumphs are no small thing.

As FOX News reports, the reduction in ISIS territory is astounding, emphasis mine.

ISIS has lost 98 percent of the territory it once held — with half of that terror group’s so-called “caliphate” having been recaptured since President Trump took office less than a year ago, U.S. military officials said Tuesday.

The latest American intelligence assessment says fewer than 1,000 ISIS fighters now remain in Iraq and Syria, down from a peak of nearly 45,000 just two years ago. U.S. officials credit nearly 30,000 U.S.-led coalition airstrikes and regional partners on the ground for killing more than 70,000 jihadists. Meanwhile, only a few thousand have returned home.

The remaining ISIS strongholds are concentrated in a small area along the border of Syria and Iraq. ISIS, at one point, controlled an area the size of Ohio.

Former officials have spoken up about the environment under which President Obama engaged this enemy, one where the ability to make such gains was seemingly stifled.

The massive gains come after years of “onerous” rules, when critics say the Obama administration “micromanaged” the war and shunned a more intensive air strategy that could have ended the conflict much sooner.

“The rules of engagement under the Obama administration were onerous. I mean what are we doing having individual target determination being conducted in the White House, which in some cases adds weeks and weeks,” said retired Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula, the former head of U.S. Air Force intelligence. “The limitations that were put on actually resulted in greater civilian casualties.”

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To be sure, these military advancements against such a bloodthirsty terrorist organization bent on death and domination should be applauded by everyone, no matter their political leanings.

With an enemy whose tactics are anything but traditional and a battlefield that often extends into city streets, a full defeat of ISIS will take some time. However, these gains represent enormous steps forward in the fight.

If President Trump as commander-in-chief has played a part in allowing the military to do its job and not “micromanage” as Obama seems to have done, then he should be commended.

Winning against terrorism should be a goal of every president. As of right now, the victories are numerous.

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