With the village of Baghus, the last bastion of the terrorist militia has fallen. But the jihadists are not yet defeated, politicians in Europe and the US warn.
After the fall of the last IS bastion in Syria, the warnings of a resurgence of extremists are increasing. The governments in Berlin, Paris and Washington acknowledged the military victory that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) had achieved over the terrorist militia. At the same time politicians and military warned of a continuing threat from submerged IS fighters.
The SDF led by the Kurds had declared Baghus released in eastern Syria on Saturday after weeks of fighting. The so-called caliphate has been completely destroyed, said SDF spokesman Mustafa Bali on Twitter. With the fall of Baghus ends a five-year-long war against the IS – at least for the time being.
Kurdish fighters reckon that ISIS could continue to carry out attacks. SDF Supreme Commander Maslum Kobani said at a ceremony at Baghus that the fight against terrorists is entering a new phase. Future military operations would have to be directed against IS sleeper cells „that are a major threat to our region and the world“. Similarly, the US envoy for the anti-IS coalition, William Roebuck, said: „We still have a lot of work ahead to achieve a permanent IS defeat,“ said Roebuck.
„We will not underestimate this threat“
The IS is broken, but still has military units hiding in the desert areas of Syria and Iraq. These cells are still active: As the Iraqi army announced, three IS bombers blew themselves up in northern Iraq on Sunday.
Western politicians fear that the submerged Islamists could continue their struggle. Although US President Donald Trump welcomed the end of the IS „caliphate“, but urged vigilance. The US would continue to work with its „partners and allies to completely defeat radical Islamic terrorists.“
Similarly expressed the German foreign minister Heiko Maas (SPD). ISIS fighters continue to see „a considerable danger,“ Maas said, according to a statement by the Foreign Office. „We will not underestimate this threat.“ France’s head of state Emmanuel Macron also said that the fight against the terrorist group must continue.
Dread of jihadists
The so-called „Islamic State“ had taken control of large parts of Syria and Iraq in 2014 and proclaimed a „caliphate“ there. The jihadists established a reign of terror with decapitations, stoning and the sexual enslavement of women. After an international military intervention led by the United States, however, the IS gradually lost its sovereignty.
In recent weeks, thousands of IS fighters had abandoned their posts and joined the SDF forces. They were taken to prison camps and interrogated. More than 70,000 refugees from the IS area have been lodged in the Kurd-controlled Al-Hol camp, where aid agencies report a dramatic humanitarian situation.
