American and coalition planes decreased the number of bombs they've dropped on Islamic State (ISIS) targets by 60 percent in October because the terror group is on the run.
According to the Washington Examiner, Air Force Brig. Gen. Andrew Croft told reporters at the Pentagon that the amount of ISIS-controlled territory is on the decline.
"That's indicative of the fact that ISIS is collapsing, not only as a physical caliphate but also in ownership of land," Croft said. "They only now control about 4 or 5 percent of the original area they covered, so the number of targets has dropped dramatically in the last month."
The Examiner reported that between 1,800 and 2,600 bombs were dropped on ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria every month from January-September. In October, that figure stood at about 850.
The shift is allowing the U.S. to redirect some of its efforts to Afghanistan to help that nation's government battle Taliban fighters.
"Obviously we are trying to increase our presence in Afghanistan," Croft said. "The CAOC [Combined Air Operation Center in Qatar] essentially controls our air forces in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan and other areas, can easily flex our air power day by day to areas as required, and Afghanistan is an example of that."
U.S. and coalition forces defeated ISIS in its de facto capital of Raqqa, Syria last month, a significant development in the war on terror.
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