IS caliphate shrinking, extremists losing control over territory: U.S.May 16, 2016 - 11:06 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Obama administration's diplomatic point man in the fight against the Islamic State group said Sunday, May 15 that the extremists have been losing control over territory and that "this perverse caliphate is shrinking," the Associated Press reports. Brett McGurk, presidential envoy to a 66-member anti-IS coalition, also told a news conference that the tide has turned in the ideological battle against the extremists. He described a round-the-clock anti-IS propaganda campaign involving companies such as Facebook and YouTube and the governments of Jordan, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates. "For every pro-Daesh Twitter handle, there are now six calling out its lies and countering its message," McGurk said, referring to IS by its Arabic acronym, AP says. U.S. officials said earlier this year that the military had ramped up cyber operations against the group. The officials said at the time that operations include efforts by U.S. Cyber Command at Fort Meade, Maryland, to prevent the group from using the Internet and social media to communicate and distribute propaganda aimed at attracting and inspiring recruits. In his news conference, McGurk singled out Jordan as an example of what he called Washington's "sustainable strategy" of eschewing boots on the ground for local, regional and Islamic forces against IS. He said Jordan has been conducting weekly air strikes against IS targets and is involved in intelligence gathering and anti-IS propaganda, AP says. Islamic State has suffered recent military setbacks and lost territory in both Iraq and Syria. McGurk said the group is on the defensive and that "this perverse caliphate is shrinking." Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. |