Islamic State leaders are preparing to retreat to their fortress in the desert border regions between Syria and Iraq pending the loss of the group’s capital cities in both countries.
U.S.-backed Operation Inherent resolve forces are in the midst of retaking Mosul, Iraq’s second city and ISIS’s de facto Iraqi capital. Meanwhile, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are besieging Raqqa, the ISIS capital in Syria. The pending loss of both cities has forced ISIS to resort to a backup plan: a coordinated retreat to the Iraqi-Syrian border region, known as Wilayat al-Furat, or Euphrates province. – READ MORE