President Donald Trump He said this Wednesday that the Islamic State (IS) “will have disappeared tonight” from Syria. He announced this in statements to the press in Washington, before leaving for a rally in Ohio.
The president showed maps that illustrate the dramatic reduction of the territory occupied by the jihadist group in the period since his election, in 2016, until now.
“When I took over, it was a disaster,” he said. “Now,” he said, pointing to the map below, “there is no red.” “In fact, there is only one small spot that will have disappeared tonight,” he concluded.
However, a commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces has denied that these militias have ended the offensive against the Islamic State terrorist group in Syria. He acknowledged that the defeat of the jihadists in Syria is "close" to being achieved, but victory cannot "yet" be announced.
It is not the first time in recent weeks that Trump declares imminent defeat of the Islamic State. On February 6 he said that within “one week” The few strongholds that existed would have been erased from the map.
Three weeks later, on February 28, he said in Alaska: “We just recovered 100%” of the territory controlled by IS in Syria.
According to the AP agency, Syrian forces supported by the United States took control of an Islamic State camp last Tuesday, March 19.
However, although it would have been an important advance, it cannot be considered a definitive defeat of the group in Baghuz, a town on the border between Iraq and Syria.
In December 2018, Trump announced the withdrawal of the 2,000 US soldiers who support their allies in the Syrian Democratic Forces on the ground.
Trump reiterated this Wednesday that 400 US troops will remain in Syria, although he did not say for how long.
What do you think?
COMMENTFiled in: