U.S. sends more troops to Iraq

The U.S. is to send an additional 560 troops to Iraq to help retake Mosul, the largest city still controlled by so-called Islamic State. The deployment, intended to capitalize on recent battlefield gains, comes as IS has lost a quarter of its territory across Iraq and Syria in the last 18 months

Area controlled by Islamic State (Daesh) as of July 4, 2016. 68,300 square km – roughly size of Ireland or U.S. state of West Virginia

Area lost by IS between Jan 2015 and Jul 2016

Area gained by IS in 2016

TURKEY

Al-Bab

Aleppo

SYRIA

Homs

LEBANON

Damascus

100km 60 miles

JORDAN

SAUDI ARABIA

Manbij

Kobane

Deir al-Zour

Palmyra

Raqqa IS HQ

Hasakah

Qaim

IRAQ

Rutbah

Qayyarah Air Base: Most new troops assigned to newly recaptured base, considered key springboard to take back Mosul

Tal Afar

Mosul

Irbil

Hawija

Kirkuk

Shirgat

Baiji

Tikrit

Haditha

Fallujah

Ramadi

Baghdad

IRAN

Deployment brings official number of American service members in Iraq to 4,647 – unofficial figure is probably closer to 6,000

Source: IHS Conflict Monitor