Report: Islamic State Losing Power Due to Local Enemies

Recent reports indicate the Islamic State terrorist organization is struggling for power in the Middle East as it continues to try to gain control of larger swaths of territory.

The Associated Press reports that the terrorist group has been struggling to maintain its power in recent months as it faces a threat from several other local fighting groups, including battle with Kurdish forces and moderate Syrian rebels.

"They are struggling with new challenges that did not exist before," Lina Khatib, director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, told the Associated Press.

Along with fighting smaller rebel groups, the Islamic State is also faced with the challenge of fighting the Syrian government's troops for control of more land.

A major blow to the terrorist group happened last month when it lost control of the border town of Kobani to Syrian Kurds. Along with Syrian Kurdish forces working on the ground to push the Islamic State out of Kobani, the U.S. carried out an estimated half-dozen airstrikes per day.

The U.S. also announced this week that it had signed a deal with Turkey to train and arm moderate Syrian rebels in their fight against the Islamic State. The agreement was reportedly signed between U.S Ambassador John Bass and Turkish Foreign Ministry undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu on Thursday evening at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara.

In a statement to Turkish media, Sinirlioglu described the agreement as "an important step" in defeating the terrorist group, which still holds control of a significant part of Iraq and Syria.