Iraqi security forces are deployed during a military operation to regain control of the villages around the town of Beiji, some 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Dec. 8, 2014. The commander of U.S. forces fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, Army Lt. Gen. James Terry says the extremist group has been thrown on the defensive, because coalition airstrikes and other measures are taking a toll on IS ability to communicate. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)