All Islamic State-held territory in Syria has been “100%” eliminated, the White House has announced, though officials said sporadic fighting continues on the ground between coalition forces and the group’s holdouts. All Islamic State-held territory in Syria has been “100%” eliminated, the White House has announced, though officials said sporadic fighting continues on the ground between coalition forces and the group’s holdouts. The complete fall of the last IS stronghold in Baghouz would the end of the militant group’s self-declared caliphate, which at its height stretched across large parts of Syria and Iraq. Officials said the SDF has not announced any declaration of victory, and there was no announcement planned. Mr Trump showed reporters a map of Iraq and Syria that showed that the terror group no longer controlled any territory in the region.

Source: Irish Independent March 22, 2019 16:30 UTC