ISIS lost a quarter of its territory since early 2015

The Islamic State has been forced to cede about a quarter of its claimed territory since January of 2015, reports research and analysis firm IHS, losing about half of that land this year alone. The square mileage ISIS has given up is about the size of Ireland.

"Over the past 18 months, the Islamic State has continued to lose territory at an increasing rate," said Columb Strack, an IHS senior analyst. But, Strack added, that doesn't evenly translate to increased stability in the Middle East.

As the would-be "caliphate shrinks and it becomes increasingly clear that its governance project is failing, the group is re-prioritizing insurgency," he explained. "As a result, we unfortunately expect an increase in mass casualty attacks" — like the recent truck bombing in Baghdad that claimed at least 215 lives — "and sabotage of economic infrastructure, across Iraq and Syria, and further afield, including Europe."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up