US President Donald Trump expects a complete reconquest of what was once the territory of the terrorist Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq. A statement from his government could probably be made next week, Trump said yesterday at a foreign ministers‘ meeting of the anti-IS coalition in Washington. Trump had announced in December to withdraw the currently still about 2,000 US soldiers in Syria. He has not yet submitted a timetable.
Deduction affirmed
Trump now said the US military, its coalition partners and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) had cleared almost the entire territory where IS had proclaimed its „caliphate“. „Their land is gone, that’s an important factor, their land is gone,“ he added. „They only have remains, but remains can be very dangerous.“
Trump confirmed the withdrawal plans. „We look forward to warmly welcoming our fighters in Syria at home.“ He emphasized to the Coalition Foreign Ministers, however, that the withdrawal did not mean the end of US involvement in the fight against IS. „We will work with you for many years to come.“ He assumes that the remains of the IS would be „smaller and smaller and smaller“.
