Pompeo Congratulates 'U.S. Army, Syrian Democratic Forces, and Coalition' Following ISIS Defeat

The U.S. Secretary of State congratulated the U.S. military, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and the Washington-led coalition for the 'liberation of Iraq and Syria' from the presence of the group known as the 'Islamic State.' Mike Pompeo tweeted, 'The area once held by ISIS in Iraq and Syria has been liberated.' He added, 'We congratulate the U.S. Army, the Syrian Democratic Forces, and the coalition for this tremendous achievement.' The U.S. Secretary of State stated, 'There is still much work to be done to ensure that the threat posed by radical Islamic terrorism is completely and finally defeated.' Earlier, the U.S. President announced the '100% liberation' of Iraq and Syria from the presence of the so-called Islamic State and stated, 'Along with the global coalition to destroy ISIS, including the Iraqi security forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces, the United States has completely liberated all areas under ISIS control in Iraq and Syria from the presence of the “caliphate.”' Trump stated that the United States will continue its global efforts against terrorism to eliminate ISIS in all its operational areas. The group known as the 'Islamic State,' which emerged nearly six years ago, managed to seize large parts of Iraq and Syria in 2013 and 2014. This group has also carried out deadly operations in other countries around the world, including in Europe, Asian, and African nations. The United States formed a coalition in 2014 to combat this group. This coalition provided air support to help the Syrian Democratic Forces drive ISIS out of northeastern Syria and southern Euphrates Valley. In recent weeks, the SDF was engaged in the final battle against ISIS in Baghouz, the last stronghold in Syria. The group captured the Baghouz camp on March 18 and announced on Saturday, April 1, that the battles in this village had ended, and with the 'complete cleansing' of ISIS remnants, 'the so-called Islamic caliphate has ended.' The Syrian Democratic Forces are a coalition of Kurdish and Arab militias in the country, with the People's Protection Units (YPG), Kurdish militias, forming the core of this group. Despite U.S. and coalition support for this group, Ankara has repeatedly protested these supports. Turkey, unlike Washington, considers the Kurdish militias in Syria as a branch of the 'Kurdistan Workers' Party' (PKK) and a 'terrorist group.' Tensions and clashes have also occurred between the two sides in border areas between Syria and Turkey.