“Two years ago, the global anti-IS coalition, together with our local partners, liberated the entire territory controlled by IS in Iraq and Syria, which was an important milestone in efforts to ensure the defeat of the terrorist group,” the secretary of state said in a statement.

The global coalition "remains united in its determination to destroy this enemy and will continue its efforts," he added.

Earlier, the interdepartmental coordination headquarters of Russia and Syria published a joint statement in which they stated that the goal of the Western countries in Syria is to plunder the republic's national wealth, and their actions in the region have nothing to do with the war against terrorism.

As stated on February 26 at the Center for Reconciliation of Warring Parties in Syria, the American command continues to forcibly hold refugees in the Syrian camp of Al-Rukban, which confirms the US's interest in maintaining a "conveyor belt" for training extremists there.

* "Islamic State" (IS) - the organization was recognized as terrorist by the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of December 29, 2014.