Trump: The Liberation of Raqqa is a Significant Advancement in the Global Campaign Against ISIS

Donald Trump, the President of the United States, on Saturday, October 21, described the defeat of the Islamic State group, ISIS, in the city of Raqqa, Syria, as a "significant advancement" in the international campaign against this group. The day before, the Syrian Democratic Forces, a coalition led by Kurds and supported by the U.S., announced complete victory over the Islamic State in Raqqa, the group's main stronghold, stating that no members of extremist groups remain in the city. According to Reuters, Donald Trump stated in a statement: "Our forces were able to completely liberate this city from ISIS's control." The U.S. President emphasized that the defeat of ISIS in Raqqa represents a significant advancement in the global fight against ISIS and the group's malevolent ideology. With the liberation of the ISIS capital and most of the territory under the group's control, the end of the ISIS caliphate is near. Trump also stressed that the fight against the Islamic State will soon enter a new phase, in which the U.S. will support local security forces, reduce violence throughout Syria, and improve conditions for sustainable peace so that terrorists cannot return. The U.S. President stated: "We, along with our allies and partners, support a diplomatic initiative that ends violence, enables the safe return of refugees, and leads to a political power transfer that reflects the will of the Syrian people." Reuters noted that in this statement, the U.S. President did not mention Bashar al-Assad's role in Syria's political future. However, a White House official told Reuters that U.S. policy toward Bashar al-Assad has not changed. U.S. officials have consistently emphasized that Bashar al-Assad has no role in Syria's political future and is an obstacle to resolving the civil war in the country. Nikki Haley, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, previously stated that as long as Bashar al-Assad is in power, achieving a political solution for this war-torn country will not be possible. The Islamic State militants captured Raqqa in 2014, making it the first city completely under the control of this extremist group. Linda Tom, a UN official, previously stated that nearly 300,000 people who fled Raqqa and settled in camps around the city urgently need assistance. According to her, Raqqa is now almost uninhabited. Currently, ISIS forces are most concentrated in strategic areas around Deir ez-Zor and the border city of Al-Bukamal. ISIS also controls small areas of Homs province in central Syria and around Damascus. According to U.S. military estimates, nearly 6,500 ISIS fighters are present in eastern Syria and western Iraq.