President Donald Trump has told American troops that US-backed forces in Syria have retaken 100 per cent of the territory once held by Islamic State militants, contradicting the commander of the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces, who said it would take another week. "We just took over, you know, you kept hearing it was 90 per cent, 92 per cent, the caliphate in Syria. Now it's 100 per cent we just took over, 100 per cent caliphate," Trump told troops at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson during a refuelling stop in Alaska. Earlier on Thursday, the commander of Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Kobani, said in a video that the SDF would announce "the complete victory" over Islamic State in a week. Trump made his comments while talking to US troops in Alaska about the progress his administration has made in Afghanistan and the Middle East over the past two years. He stopped in Alaska on his way back from talks in Vietnam with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The US president has been anxious to declare that IS has been driven out of all its territory since announcing in December that he would withdraw American forces from Syria, claiming they had succeeded in their mission to defeat the militant group. The US has withdrawn some troops, but Trump responded to criticism of his move by deciding to leave about 400 US troops in the country over the longer run: 200 to remain in the northeast as part of a multinational force and 200 to remain at an outpost in the southeast to counter Iranian influence. Trump said on February 6 he expected a formal announcement the following week that coalition forces had recaptured all territory previously held by IS in Syria. That announcement has yet to be made Australian Associated Press
President Donald Trump has announced the US-backed SDF has retaken all the territory held by IS.
President Donald Trump has told American troops that US-backed forces in Syria have retaken 100 per cent of the territory once held by Islamic State militants, contradicting the commander of the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces, who said it would take another week.
"We just took over, you know, you kept hearing it was 90 per cent, 92 per cent, the caliphate in Syria. Now it's 100 per cent we just took over, 100 per cent caliphate," Trump told troops at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson during a refuelling stop in Alaska.
Earlier on Thursday, the commander of Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Kobani, said in a video that the SDF would announce "the complete victory" over Islamic State in a week.
Trump made his comments while talking to US troops in Alaska about the progress his administration has made in Afghanistan and the Middle East over the past two years.
He stopped in Alaska on his way back from talks in Vietnam with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
The US president has been anxious to declare that IS has been driven out of all its territory since announcing in December that he would withdraw American forces from Syria, claiming they had succeeded in their mission to defeat the militant group.
The US has withdrawn some troops, but Trump responded to criticism of his move by deciding to leave about 400 US troops in the country over the longer run: 200 to remain in the northeast as part of a multinational force and 200 to remain at an outpost in the southeast to counter Iranian influence.
Trump said on February 6 he expected a formal announcement the following week that coalition forces had recaptured all territory previously held by IS in Syria. That announcement has yet to be made
