White House: Islamic State territory in Syria eliminated
WEST PALM BEACH -- All remaining territory has been wrested from the Islamic State group in Syria, President Donald Trump announced Friday, though officials said sporadic fighting continued on the ground between coalition forces and the group's holdouts.
The complete fall of the last IS stronghold in Baghouz, Syria, would mark the end of the Islamic State group's self-declared caliphate, which at its height stretched across large parts of Syria and Iraq. Controlling territory gave the group room to launch attacks around the world.
Trump said Friday "it's about time" that the group no longer controlled territory in the region, after a campaign by U.S. and coalition forces that spanned five years and two U.S. presidencies unleashed more than 100,000 bombs and killed untold numbers of civilians.
