I wouldn't believe all of the numbers reported above but it's on the right track. I had been tracking about 5000 killed and maybe 15,000 badly wounded.
It is correct that many of their combat hardened fighters are out of the scene (either dead or wounded). In Northern Syria Kurdish Maoist guerrillas (the YPG) report coming across coerced tribesmen who run as soon as a few mortar rounds start landing ..... partly true but also tailored for propaganda. Note that seasoned Syrian ISIS fighters aren't used as cannon fodder. What the report fails to mention is the rise of Jabat al Nusra and the propensity of ISIS fighters to switch allegiance to Jabat al Nusra as ISIS losses continue.
The Saudis and the Gulf states are tying to delink al Nusra from Al Qaeda to enable ADDITIONAL funding of the group.
Importantly, Saudi and Gulf State troops are landing in Yemen in their war against the Houthies and Yemen Republican Guard divisions who remain loyal to ex President Saleh. The Russians tried to land a plane in Yemen yesterday, purportedly to evacuate their personnel but it was turned back by the Saudis. What if a trigger finger Saudi pilot happens to bring down an identified Russian aircraft???
