US President Donald Trump has claimed that the remaining areas have been retaken under the control of the terrorist militia "Islamic State" (IS) in Syria. They have taken over the area to "100 percent," said Trump at a stopover in Alaska before US soldiers. A spokesman for the Pentagon initially refused to comment on the statement and referred to the White House.
In recent weeks, Trump has repeatedly stated that the reconquest of the remaining areas is imminent. He said on February 15 that the statement about the end of the "caliphate" of the IS would take place in the next 24 hours. Ultimately, however, such an opinion did not come.
No comment from local forces
Adnan Afrin, commander of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), did not comment on Trump's statements. If you have something to announce, you'll do it in time, Afrin explained.
SDF chief commander Mazloum Kobani had stated in a video that the victory over the IS could be announced in a week. It was released this Thursday. It is unclear when the video was taken. The SDF had begun an offensive on 10 February on the last Syrian bastion of IS, the place Baghus.
In Iraq, the government had already proclaimed the victory over the jihadists last year. However, there are still attacks that the IS reclaimed.