UK Defence Secretary Michael Fallon today said the US-led coalition has made substantial progress in Syria and Iraq, leading to the liberation of over 2 million people from Islamic State (IS) control in the last year.<br/>'<br/>In a Ministry of Defence statement in London today, Fallon said the UK was stepping up its fight against the terrorist group. He said the army has helped train over 32,000 Iraqi forces and the Royal Air Force is taking out IS and working hard to minimise casualties in a very difficult, dense urban environment.<br/>'<br/>In the course of 2016, it is estimated almost 25,000 IS fighters have been killed and that the group now controls less than 10 per cent of Iraqi territory.<br/>