LONDON (AP) — Britain's defense secretary says the country has launched 27 airstrikes against Islamic State positions in the last month.

Gavin Williamson told Parliament on Monday that the Islamic State extremists represent a "great threat" to Britain even though its territory has been "massively reduced."

He said actions against IS had not slowed down since the group was stripped of most of its territory in Syria and Iraq because of the need to "put pressure on them."

Williamson says Britain cannot take for granted that Islamic State has been defeated.