Despite Minor Successes, a Long Fight Remains to Dislodge Islamic State

Forces battling in Iraq against the Islamic State and its Sunni rebel allies made a number of advances over the weekend. Kurdish peshmerga fighters achieved minor victories in the north, while Iraqi forces did the same in the west.

The Islamic State's momentum has finally been blunted and even rolled back across the country. The Iraqi army, peshmerga and Shiite militias are now increasingly on the offensive against the Islamic State, while American air power's contribution to the fight continues to grow. Despite this reversal of fortunes, however, the Islamic State is still deeply entrenched in Iraq and the fight against the group will be long and brutal.