Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress the international coalition is making in its work to defeat Daesh.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

​As recent progress in Qayyarah in Iraq and Manbij in Syria demonstrates, our strategy of supporting local forces, including with airstrikes is working. The Coalition assesses that Daesh has been driven out of around half the territory it once occupied in Iraq and over 20 per cent in Syria. Thousands of people have been freed from Daesh’s rule and many of those who have escaped have now been able to return to their homes. The next major challenges are driving Daesh out of Raqqa and Mosul.