You also have to remember that they've killed a significant number of civilians and Iraqi government forces.
Less civilians and iraqi government forces have died to ISIS combined than ISIS combatants have died to coalition forces. The iraqi government forces have also been revenge killing and committing atrocities upon captured ISIS combatants, which will no doubt increase their casualties.
I dunno. I hear other voices say that, even though they lost 10000 men since the start of the coalition attacks (which have been ongoing for a year, longer if you take into account that Hezbollah and Iran started actively sending troops to fight IS even before America sent it's first coalition troops in June 2014), their recruitment plus conscription of occupied cities yields them a net gain in troops, despite the losses.
They've got their zealots and conscripts, but numbers alone does not an army make. While the iraqi government forces receive coalition training, the ISIS combatants have their officers killed by drone, air and special operations. While the iraqi and kurdish forces receive volunteers from army veterans across the world, ISIS recruits its militants through delusions. The fact that they've having to execute militants trying to return to their abandoned motherlands should speak volumes about their morale and discipline. All the while Kurdish and Iraqi volunteers have been given the all clear by western governmentsand ISIS wannabes are getting imprisoned except maybe by the Danes who think you can rehab a jihadi and put them back on your streets.
ISIS is on the defensive, their advances into Iraq halted. The only reason why ISIS has increased their territorial gains in Syria is because the Americans are letting Assad and ISIS wear each other down - no matter who wins, it's a strategic victory for America.
IS are winning big time. they have had some drawbacks, but the iraqis can't withstand their new tactics (Suicide Trucks which are neigh unstoppable and blitz operations where they storm areas using false flag disguise and conquer parts before the local opposition has any chance to realize they just let their enemy slip in). In Syria they are gaining both ground and personnel as well as the oil sources that accompany those grounds.
IS doesn't border israel, at least not directly and not on the syrian border. a cell that has been identifying itself with IS has already attacked israel multiple times though, both from within gaza and from egypt. IS see israel as a prime target, only it knows that they'll have to establish themselves first before going all in.
In my opinion, if somehow IS took control of palestine, they would start gaining a positive stance from the arab countries, opposed to the mostly negative they receive now.
ISIS attacked an Iraqi military base wearing Iraqi uniforms. Repelled. ISIS attacked an Iraqi base holding American ground forces in Iraq, with their unstoppable 'new tactics.' They are demolished. ISIS suicide humvee attack on Iraqi police base is successful, but they fail to take it. The attacks cause most casualties on checkpoints. Not bases. The Iraqi base that fell to ISIS did not fall because of their unstoppable 'new tactics,' it fell because it was isolated and the Iraqi command sent no air power to aid its own garrisoned soldiers. So thank god the coalition does not take orders from Iraq. Suicide trucks or no, that base was going to fall.
They are surrounded by Turkey, Israel, Iran and Saudi Arabia, with all of Europe, Russia, America, Australasia and China keeping a close eye on their activities. We would need to see a regional power's entire army defect before they could seriously pose a threat to major powers around the globe.
I don't know about IS and Israel. IS's priorities seems to be to unify other Muslims, and they have been cautious to focus on the Iraqi and Syrian theater, not attacking Israel (which they already border) or Turkey.
Peculiarly Netanyahu seems more concerned with Iran than ISIS and ISIS have also not made any attempts at provoking Israel, when their entire grand strategy involves provoking every nation on the planet. I presume it's because Israel proper does not have any large muslim populations it could turn against the government, so it'd have nothing to gain by opening a front with the IDF when it's already embittered in conflict. Likewise the Israeli top brass see Iranian jets exercising their own strikes on ISIS in Iraq, and Shia-militia in Iraq and Syria as proxy forces of Iran, and see a state steadily exerting its hegemony eastwards towards Israel. Both sides seem content to avoid conflict for now. Should the balance of power change or Caliph Abu-Bakr two electric boogaloo be replaced by someone else, the fight could extend to Jerusalem. At this rate though, they're
more likely to attack Rome than Jerusalem.Seems they know about as much geography as Americans though. Unlike Americans however, they don't have the excuse of being a continent away. It reminds me of that Indian branch of Al-Qaeda, who were tasked with attacking a US carrier. However, being a bunch of uneducated goatherds, they attacked the first giant metal ship they saw - which was a Pakistani warship, and got absolutely demolished. Lots of belief, lots of devotion, but the number of well-educated leaders they have dwindles with every passing strike.