Trump Says All Islamic State Land Lost In Syria, SDF Says Fight Continues
Islamic State militants in eastern Syria still held out late on Friday, the U.S.-backed militia besieging them said, after U.S. President Donald Trump said the jihadist group had lost its last scrap of territory.
“Heavy fighting continues around mount Baghouz right now to finish off whatever remains of ISIS (Islamic State),” said Mustafa Bali, head of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) media office on Twitter.
Trump showed a before-and-after map to reporters to demonstrate the extent of jihadist losses during his presidency.
He has said several times in recent weeks that Islamic State had lost all its land even though fierce battles persisted.
Islamic State’s loss of Baghouz ends its grip over populated territory in the third of Iraq and Syria it once ruled, but the group remains a threat with fighters operating in cities and remote areas elsewhere and able to mount insurgent attacks.
