Trump claims liberation of all IS-controlled territory in Syria, Iraq

    Source: Xinhua| 2019-03-24 04:36:53|Editor: Mu Xuequan
    Video PlayerClose

    WASHINGTON, March 23 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump claimed Saturday the "liberation" of all territory controlled by the Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq, while vowing to remain vigilant until "it is finally defeated."

    Trump said in a statement that the United States, together with its partners in Global Coalition to Defeat IS, has liberated "100 Percent of 'the caliphate.'"

    "We will remain vigilant against ISIS (IS) by aligning global counterterrorism efforts to fight ISIS until it is finally defeated wherever it operates," the president added.

    The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced Saturday the defeat of the IS militant group in eastern Syria.

    The victory ended the IS rule that once spanned a third of Iraq and Syria.

    The SDF, with the help of the U.S.-led coalition, has been fighting the IS group in the region of eastern bank of the Euphrates River since last September.

    The IS emerged in Syria after the Syrian crisis began in 2011, after it was formed first in Iraq amid the U.S.-led invasion of the country.

    Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the group's leader, broke ties with al-Qaeda and renamed his group "the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" in 2013.

    In 2014, the extremist group captured Raqqa Province in Syria and declared the establishment of a caliphate.

    Acting U.S. Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan on Saturday called the liberation of the territory once held by IS in Iraq and Syria "a critical milestone," adding that they understand their work "is far from complete."

    "We will continue our work with the Global Coalition to deny ISIS safe haven anywhere in the world," Shanahan said in a statement.

    Declaring victory over the IS, Trump announced in December the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria, leading to the resignation of then Secretary of Defense James Mattis and wide opposition from home and abroad.

    Last month, Trump announced a small fraction of U.S. forces would remain in Syria with troops from other countries. Currently, there are about 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria.

    White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told the press on Friday that the territorial caliphate of IS had been eliminated in Syria, saying that the Pentagon confirmed this information. However, Russian media Sputnik reported on Friday, citing a Russian Foreign Ministry source, that Washington's statements about the complete liberation of Syria from IS were not convincing.

    General Joseph Votel, head of the U.S. Central Command, said earlier this month that the operation against IS was far from over.

    "Reduction of the physical caliphate is a monumental military accomplishment -- but the fight against ISIS and violent extremism is far from over and our mission remains the same," Votel said.

    TOP STORIES
    EDITOR’S CHOICE
    MOST VIEWED
    EXPLORE XINHUANET
    010020070750000000000000011105091379186541
    主站蜘蛛池模板: 国产午夜精品一区理论片| 男生女生一起差差很痛| 无码人妻精品一区二区三区蜜桃 | 99re热久久这里只有精品首页| 妖精色av无码国产在线看| 久久躁狠狠躁夜夜av| 波多野结衣按摩| 吃奶呻吟打开双腿做受在线视频| bollywoodtubesexvideos| 日本特级淫片免费| 亚洲国产美女福利直播秀一区二区 | 成年女人毛片免费视频| 免费一级片在线| 适合男士深夜看的小说软件 | 三年在线观看免费观看完整版中文| 最近最好最新2018中文字幕免费| 人妻免费一区二区三区最新| 色偷偷www8888| 国产成人精品无码播放| 91福利视频免费观看| 小小的日本三电影免费观看| 久久人妻夜夜做天天爽| 欧美亚洲精品suv| 亚洲精品无码你懂的| 精品少妇一区二区三区视频| 国产午夜鲁丝片AV无码| 无遮挡1000部拍拍拍免费凤凰| 天天射综合网站| 丝袜美腿中文字幕| 日本在线色视频| 五月激情婷婷网| 欧美日韩一道本| 亚洲色国产欧美日韩| 精品乱码一区内射人妻无码| 国产三级在线播放不卡| 成年人视频免费在线观看| 国产精品成人网| 97国产在线播放| 日本大片在线看黄a∨免费| 亚洲另类欧美日韩| 波多野结衣种子网盘|