Reactions to defeat in Syria: The IS is defeated, the fight continues

The liberation of the last remaining IS stronghold is a "historic moment" that the international community has been waiting for, said Adbel Karin Umar on Saturday. A few hours earlier, soldiers from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) had massively bombarded the site on the border with Iraq, killing countless militants of the terrorist militia. However, the foreign affairs officer of the SDF political wing also said, "That does not mean that we have defeated terror."

Although IS may be destroyed militarily and the state of extremists smashed, Daesh is still present in the liberated areas. SPIEGEL reporter Christoph Reuter reported from Baghus: "On the way to one of the few remaining three-storey buildings in the midst of the battlefield are repeatedly heard shots." Shots from precision rifles, dull impacts of artillery shells.

The liberators paid a heavy toll for the symbolically important victory: "With thousands of martyrs and the bravery of our fighters (...), we were able to destroy the Daesh terrorist cells," said SDF spokesman, Cinema Gabriel, on Saturday at Omar Oilfield in the east of the country.

At the subsequent victory celebration blew beside the flags of the SDF also US flags. The US-led international anti-IS coalition supported the offensive from the air.

The threat remains

France, which is also part of the International Coalition against IS in the Middle East, has contributed to the military success. In Syria, Paris is using officially unconfirmed reports and hundreds of soldiers from special forces. French President Emmanuel Macron praised partners and armed forces of the international coalition. Now that there was a significant threat to his country, he tweeted. "But the threat remains, and the fight against terrorist groups must continue," was also read by Macron.

However, the SDF leadership called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to accept autonomous administration in its controlled areas in the northeast of the country. Turkey should also withdraw its troops from Syria and the Kurdish region of Afrin.

Turkey considers the SDF, led by the Syrian Kurdish militia YPG, to be a terrorist organization and has repeatedly cracked down on Syrian soil. The leadership in Damascus, supported by Russia and Iran, responded to the SDF demand that it seek to regain control of the entire Syrian territory.

The partial rule of Syria may be over, not fighting.