ISIS Sanctuary Map: April 22, 2016

Since the publication of ISW’s last ISIS sanctuary map on March 31, 2016, ISIS lost terrain in Iraq and Syria. Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) recaptured the city of Hit in Anbar Province, western Iraq from ISIS on April 14 as part of ongoing operations to secure the Euphrates River Valley. Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) forces also continue to contest ISIS's control in the Makhoul Mountains, north of Baiji. Meanwhile, Syrian regime forces seized Qaryatayn, west of Palmyra from ISIS on April 4, disrupting ISIS's ability to project force in western  Syria. Syrian opposition forces also recaptured territory from ISIS in western Deraa Province on April 6 and 7, resisting ISIS’s attempts to expand control in the province. Despite these losses, ISIS seized additional territory in the Yarmouk Camp District from Syrian al Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al Nusra on April 18, and reclaimed terrain along the Syrian-Turkish border on April 14.