Illustrative image, source: sdf-press.com
Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan briefed President Donald Trump and told him that ISIS no longer holds any territory in Syria, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters on March 22, according to Reuters.
The news agency didn’t provide additional information about Sanders’ remarks. However, it was the first official announcement regarding the ISIS defeat in the Middle Euphrates River Valley.
Earlier, Trump warned the remaining ISIS supporters on Twitter, saying that the terrorist group is “being beaten badly at every level.”
“There is nothing to admire about them [ISIS], they will always try to show a glimmer of vicious hope, but they are losers and barely breathing. Think about that before you destroy your lives and the lives of your family,” Trump wrote.
Two days ago, sources close to the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said that the group has imposed its control of last ISIS positions north of the town of al-Baghuz al-Fawqani, thus securing the entire Euphrates Valley. However, combing operations continue in the region.
While the White House is trying to present ISIS defeat in the Euphrates Valley as a total defeat, the terrorist group maintains one last stronghold in the Homs desert in the heart of the country. Once the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and Russian forces liberate this stronghold, the terrorist group will be truly defeated in all of Syria.
