President says IS territory all but gone
Pompeo: Withdrawal no change in U.S. goals
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump predicted Wednesday that the Islamic State group will have lost by next week all the territory it once controlled in Iraq and Syria. He said the U.S. will not relent in fighting remnants of the extremist organization despite his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria.
The president told representatives of a 79-member, U.s.-led coalition fighting IS that the militants held a tiny percentage of the vast territory they claimed as their “caliphate.”
“It should be formally announced sometime, probably next week, that we will have 100 percent of the caliphate,” Trump said.
U.S. officials have said in recent weeks that IS has lost 99.5 percent of its territory and is holding on to fewer than 2 square miles in Syria in the villages of the Middle Euphrates River Valley, where the bulk of the fighters are concentrated.
But there are fears the impending U.S. pullout will imperil those gains. Trump told coalition members meeting at the State Department that while “remnants” of the group were still dangerous, he was determined to bring U.S. troops home. He called on coalition members to step up and do their “fair share” in the fight against terrorism.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the coalition that the planned withdrawal “is not a change in the mission” but a change in tactics against a group that should still be considered a menace.
“In this new era, local law enforcement and information sharing will be crucial, and our fight will not necessarily always be military-led,” he said. Trump’s announcement “is not the end of America’s fight. The fight is one that we will continue to wage alongside of you.”
He added: “America will continue to lead in giving those who would destroy us no quarter.”