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ISIS no longer has the ability to orchestrate major terror attacks from its bases in Iraq and Syria, military commanders said today.

Maj Gen Rupert Jones, the deputy commander of the international coalition against ISIS, said the jihadi forces were too busy fighting for their lives to be able to plot outrages in Western cities.

He said the gains by the Iraqi Security Forces meant Daesh - the alternative name for the Islamic State - were on the path to defeat in Iraq and Syria.

The big directive attacks, those are really difficult to orchestrate right now form Iraq and Syria.

Your ability to orchestrate those sort of attacks at reach is very significantly suppressed, he said.

The recent attacks in Barcelona and Manchester were "self motivated", he suggested.

Maj Gen Jones also said the number of foreign fighters joining ISIS had slowed to a trickle.

He said those who had joined the terrorist organisation in Iraq and Syria now faced the choice of surrender or die.

Daesh are on the path to defeat. Thats really, really clear. Our partners have momentum,

We are there to liberate towns and cities from Daesh and from a Western point of view to make sure that organisation cannot direct and formerly export terror into the West.

If you are fighter in Raqqa right now do you think you are plotting to attack Birmingham or Brussels? I would wager not. What you are doing is fighting for your life, he said.

Maj Gen Jones said the leader of the ISIS forces Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had gone to ground and the bulk of his key staff were now dead.

He said the followers of al-Baghdadi would be feeling deserted and fighting for ISIS would have lost its appeal.

Do you feel led by al-Baghdadi? I would wager not. You feel deserted. Baghdadi has gone underground because thats the only way he can survive.

What about his lieutenants? The bulk of his lieutanants are dead. So do you feel part of a brand, an organisation in the ascendancy? I would say not, he said.

Maj Gen Jones, who is stepping down as the commander of the Global Coalition, also dismissed claims that Donald Trumps plans for a troop surge in Afghanistan would affect the operations in the Middle East.

Have we got the resources we need? Yes we have. If we needed more resources we would put forward a case. Do we worry we are suddenly going to become the poor cousin to Afghanistan? No. We are happy we have got the resources we need, he said.

He praised the Iraqi Security Forces for recapturing Mosul and liberating four million Iraqis from the tyrannical rule of Daesh.

Make no mistake, the momentum is clearly with the Iraqi Security forces they have the intent and capability to complete the military defeat of Daesh in Iraq.

The facts since the dark the days of 2014 speak for themselves: 40,000 sq kms have been liberated in Iraq, thats basically the size of Switzerland.

The Iraqi Security Forces have prevailed in the toughest urban battle since the Second World War. As a result about four million people in Iraq are able to live their lives free from Daeshs tyrannical rule.

Daesh are losing on all fronts and our partners have irresistible momentum, he said.

Maj Gen Jones said the foreign fighters who had joined ISIS in Iraq and Syria were now trapped.

From the high point back in 2014 when there were thousands of foreign fighters flowing into Iraq and Syria that has slowed to an absolute trickle.

Firstly, Daesh is not a particularly attractive proposition anymore, the lie has been exposed.

Thing two, a huge amount of work has been done across the Coalition to limit the ability of fighters to move into Iraq and Syria, border controls and alike, not least with our Nato ally Turkey,

It is equally hard to move back out. We dont see great evidence of fighters leaving places like Mosul and Raqqa and heading out north through Turkey towards Europe. Thats remarkably difficult to do.

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Military chief says ISIS too weak to plot terror attacks from Iraq - Mirror.co.uk