The Islamic State Might Be Losing the War, But They’re Still Winning the Social Media Battle

The so-called Islamic State (IS) has continued to make inroads on social media despite a counter-campaign by US and allied forces, according to a State Department memo obtained by the New York Times.

The "sensitive but unclassified" document reportedly found that current outreach on social media from the US, Britain, the United Arab Emirates, and others was overshadowed by material put out by IS. "Our narrative is being trumped by ISIL's," the memo said, using an alternate acronym for the militant group. "We are reactive — we think about 'counter-narratives,' not 'our narrative.'"

The memo was written by Richard A. Stengel, the State Department's under secretary for public diplomacy and public affairs, and addressed to Secretary of State John Kerry, according to the Times.

State Department spokesman John Kirby reportedly said the memo "acknowledges what we've made clear in the past: We must do a better job at discrediting ISIL in the information space."

Related: Islamic State Publishes 'How to Survive in the West' Handbook for Jihadi Secret Agents — And It's Hilarious

The memo was made public just one day after coalition warplanes bombed an IS parade in western Kirkuk. The bombing on Saturday killed 40 suspected militants and destroyed eight vehicles, according to Iraq's Al-Sharqiya TV news network.

Despite the US-led airstrikes, IS has continued their violent offensive to reach Iraq's largest oil refinery. On Saturday, the militants reportedly used four suicide bombers in vehicles packed with explosives to attack government forces and their Shiite militia allies at the Baiji refinery north of Baghdad.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia began an advance toward the IS-held town of Tel Abyad at the Turkish border on Saturday. Recapturing the vital town could mean a major offensive on Raqqa, the capital of the self-styled caliphate.

YPG spokesman Redur Xelil said that the move toward Tel Abyad began after the IS-held town of Suluk was surrounded.

"Many of the Daesh militants have fled [Suluk], apart from a group of suicide attackers inside the town and the booby traps, so we are very cautious about entering the town center," he said, using the Arabic acronym for the militant group.

Related: Meet the Saudi Sheikh Who Joined, Then Quit, the Islamic State

The YPG's advance toward Raqqa from neighboring Hassakeh has been aided by the US-led alliance, and has led to IS militants being driven out of large areas of territory since early May. The militia has emerged as a significant partner on the ground in Syria, and helped fend off an attack on the border town of Kobani in January.

A Syrian rebel alliance has also pushed IS farther away from one of its key supply routes from neighboring Turkey, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said Saturday. The UK-based monitoring group said Islamist rebels ousted IS from the village of Al-Bal, threatening the Bab al-Salama border crossing. SOHR director Abdel Rahman said the village's recapture late on Friday came after heavy fighting that left 14 rebels and 15 IS militants dead.

Follow Gillian Mohney on Twitter: @gillianmohney

VICE News' Haider Kata and Purvi Thacker contributed to this report.