The US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State has killed some 22,000 militants since mid-2014, France's defence minister says.

An airstrike in Syria. Photo: HuffingtonPost

"The coalition's figure is around 22,000 dead since the start of the campaign in Iraq and Syria," Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told France24, adding that the figure was "an estimate".

He also expressed optimism about the string of military successes against the Islamic State (IS) in recent months.

"We have not seen a major Daesh uprising for a long time," Le Drian said, using another name for the terrorist group. "Daesh is in a very fragile situation but we must remain very cautious," he added.

The coalition began airstrikes against IS in the summer of 2014 and intensified them after the IS attacks in Paris last November. The strikes have focused on IS oil production, the group's main source of revenue.

In a major setback for the terrorist group, IS last month lost the city of Ramadi to US-backed local forces.

According to VNE