US President Donald Trump has said that by next week he will be able to declare the defeat of the extremist group Islamic State’s (IS) “physical caliphate.”
“The United States military, our coalition partners, and the Syrian Democratic Forces have liberated virtually all of the territory previously held by IS in Syria and Iraq,” Trump told officials from the 79-member international coalition against the militant group gathered in Washington on February 6.
“We look forward to giving our warriors a warm welcome back home,” the president also said, referring to his withdrawal plans from Syria.
Trump surprised US lawmakers and international allies in December by announcing that he intended to withdraw all 2,000 U.S. troops from the war-torn country.