WASHINGTON - Brett McGurk, the special US envoy to the coalition fighting the Islamic State group, has resigned, a State Department official said Saturday. Trump -- who postponed his holiday vacation as failed budget talks triggered a partial US government shutdown -- again on Saturday said "ISIS is largely defeated." "When I became President, ISIS was going wild," the president tweeted. "Now ISIS is largely defeated and other local countries, including Turkey, should be able to easily take care of whatever remains. The 45 year-old top envoy was set to leave his position in February, but reportedly felt he could no longer continue in the job after Trump's declaration.

Source: Bangkok Post December 22, 2018 17:37 UTC