For years Islamic State has caused fear with numerous attacks across the world and they recently threatened more attacks on the US.
And now, Lieutenant General Paul Funk – who heads a task force against Islamic State in Iraq – says ISIS fighters are “giving up” after being abandoned by their leaders.
He said: “They’re giving up. They’re coming out with their hands up, putting their weapons down – full scale surrender. It’s a growing trend.
“What we are hearing (from those surrendered) is, ‘Our leaders have abandoned us, we haven’t be fed, we haven’t been fed, we haven’t paid.”
His comments come as a large number of IS militants surrendered to Kurdish Peshmerga forces of Kirkuk.
This comes as a US-backed Iraqi forces announced on Thursday they had retaken Hawija – one of the last two Islamic State’s remaining stronghold.
The Iraqi town fell to ISIS in June 2014, when the group seized control in the northern and eastern parts of Iraq and proclaimed the creation of “caliphate”.
Lt Gnl Funk said in a phone interview with USA Today: “The speed at which the enemy gave me surprised me.”
In July, Iraq announced that Mosul was retaken from ISIS – the city where the death cult declared Caliphate.
ISIS militants still control a string of towns and villages stretching along the Euphrates River in Iraq and Syria – where they are expected to make a last stand.
As few as 3,000 militants might remain in Iraq and Syria, down from 30,000, but officials caution the numbers aren’t a good measure of the group’s strength.