US envoy in anti-IS battle: ‘perverse caliphate’ shrinking

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) – The Obama administration’s diplomatic point man in the fight against the Islamic State group said Sunday that the extremists have been losing control over territory and that “this perverse caliphate is shrinking.”

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.

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.

McGurk also 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.